Freshman 5¢: election aftermath

On Nov. 8, the entire nation held its breath as all the precincts in the United States reported their votes for the 45th President of the United States. As the night progressed, it became increasingly evident that GOP candidate Donald Trump was to be the President-Elect. Now that the election cycle is over, Daniel Song ’19 shares his thoughts on one of the most controversial presidential elections in American history.

“I think that [the campaigns have] just been hectic. Both sides have just gone back and forth between with the attacks. It was bogus how two disliked candidates were set running against each other,” he said. “Another side is that people have been more supportive of their candidate in order not to get the other elected.”

He pointed out that, while the results of the election were disappointing to him, there is no clear way to predict what will happen in the future.

“Donald Trump has been very successful in business, but he has no political experience. He will have to rely on Mike Pence a lot to make the transition,” he said. “The policies that Republicans want will be passed much faster now [through Congress], but hopefully many of [the Congressmen] in Congress will oppose Trump when he is president.”

He also supports the protests against Trump, but only if the protesters exercise restraint. “I thought it was great to see people coming together to voice their opinions, but there is also a point in which [protesting] gets over-the-top and interferes with the lives of others,” he said.

For better or for worse, Donald Trump will be our nation’s next president and the next four years will show if he is the next leader America will require.