Earlier that night, seeing that Hillary Clinton was behind in electoral votes didn’t worry me too much because only a few states claimed their winner. But as more states reported their choice, the atmosphere of Kildahl went from excitement to disappointment. And when it was confirmed that Donald Trump would be our next president, I was shocked, saddened and in utter disbelief.
As a feminist, LGBTQ+ supporter, minority, woman, everything that Donald Trump has said during his campaign has surprised me. He wants to build a giant wall on the US-Mexico border, wants surveillance on Muslims, and is against letting in Syrian refugees on the assumption that they are terrorists. And on women, in a 1994 ABC News interview, Trump stated, “I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing. Unfortunately, after they’re the star, the fun is over for me. It’s like a creation process. It’s almost like creating a building. It’s pretty sad.” It’s been a tough election to swallow, I think for everyone regardless of their political views. But hearing Trump say comments like these has been especially hard to comprehend.
Once the political arena calms down, I believe we need to look beyond this election and towards the future. Am I scared? Of course I am. I am worried for every minority, woman, Muslim, lgbtq+ person in this country. But, we can’t be sad, angry and disappointed forever.
During her concession speech, Clinton said, “I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks- sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks too. This loss hurts. But please, never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”
And she’s right. Don’t ever stop fighting for what you believe is right.
Article Sources: Comments on Women Article, Clinton’s Speech Transcript
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