Donald has done it. He has been elected the 45th President of the United States of America. Though we rejoice that Hillary Clinton was barred from the presidency, those who voted for Trump should not necessarily be proud of the choice they had to make. Though Republicans should celebrate their victory, the nature of that victory should be acknowledged even in this moment. Donald J. Trump is the president, but the inauguration parade perhaps deserves to be rained on a little for the sake of the reality of the situation. Mr. Trump’s larger-than-life movement was enough to get attention, and he got it in spades—but even now, those who supported Trump should call a spade a spade and not gloss over the flaws and fears connected with their extraordinary victor.
With WWF-style braggadocio and bombastic reality-TV theatrics, the billionaire real-estate mogul roared across the nation about cleansing the country of elitist corruption and aggressively defending America from illegal invasion by virtue of his successful self. He forced his way to the top, defeating Hillary Clinton despite all odds. With a campaign as campy as his, however, Trump’s strength is strange. Though it prevailed, it should not be automatically praised. With the rise of President Donald Trump, America is faced with the good, the bad, and the ugly, and the bad and the ugly should not be hidden by the good.
It was impossible to overlook the bombastic theatricality of Trump’s crusade to “Make America Great Again.” For the last year, it concerned those concerned with the truth. Americans took seriously the fact that it was, and still is, difficult to take Mr. Trump seriously. It will take a great man to make America great again. Is Donald Trump that man? Perhaps. Voting for Trump may have been a last-ditch lunge to avoid the evident evil. But by voting for Trump, have Americans lowered the standard of the presidency? Even if Trump makes America great again, will he inspire future greatness in future Americans, or future presidents? The future will tell.
In the end, as we have heard so often during this election cycle, Donald Trump is the politician that America deserves: balling up the serious with the smug, and that is not something to be unconditionally happy about. Donald Trump is no philosopher, though his madness-with-method, force-of-will, come-what-may, shoot-from-the-hip, couldn’t-care-less attitude is in keeping with the self-willed spirit of many American corners, especially when it comes to the rejection of accepted moral and political norms. According to these Americans, Trump will restore the good old days before illegal invaders found a foothold and stacked the deck in their favor. Fair enough. We shall see. The most common reason Americans approved Trump’s presidency is that he appears to be a man who has placed himself above the accepted system and is unafraid to “tell it like it is,” which may prove successful in the White House. Trump comes across as a tough-guy who brashly pontificates at the bar over beers—and that quality has won him attention, support, and even respect. Donald Trump is the man no one thought possible; the man who is always unabashed and has the will and the wallet to pull it off.
President Trump is an elitist critic of the elite, voicing the mass frustration at the fools who run the country—and his voice was loud enough to let him lead the country. The problem with Trump is that he is an unrefined voice for that frustration because his conservatism is questionable and his policies are implausible. Trump wields his ego like a weapon to gain attention, and attention will be his for the next four years. Just because Trump has broken all the bad rules to become President, it does not mean he will fix all the good rules that are broken. He has been inaugurated president. He may do much good. America can only hope and watch and pray. Americans are increasingly drawn to and dependent upon the fast-lane, fast-food, throw-away “culture,” and Donald Trump is the current buzz. Though Trump may be bent on making America great again, and though he may well succeed, he also seems bent upon making American egos greater yet. Let Americans be wary. Desperate people cast desperate votes.
Ultimately, America needs more than a trump card, and Trump supporters should remember that even in the glory of victory. A big pseudo-conservative president will not solve the problem of big liberal government. Just because laws and philosophies have become lost on the left does not mean they cannot get lost on the right. The Constitution’s checks and balances that keep any one person from gaining too much power and influence stand just as much in danger from a Donald Trump as from any Hillary Clinton. Though Donald Trump has won the race, there is yet merit in calling a spade a spade. The Trump that we have known does not stop him from fulfilling a philosophic fantasy for frustrated Americans. The election qualifies him. Whether it qualifies him to solve the American farrago is to be seen. Hillary Clinton’s political career is at an end and the beginning of Donald Trump’s is upon us—and we all must wait and see what happens before we can truly rejoice.