The house was quiet. My mother, who was visiting, was asleep in my bedroom, while my wife and I crashed on the pull-out couch in the family room. My sons were snoozing away in their beds. My thoughts were with the 10-year-old girl who slept in her room along with the toddler.
The TV was on low because my wife had already resigned the fate of the Presidency. I should have tried to sleep because an early morning flight was on my immediate schedule. But I couldn’t pull away. I continued to hope for a miracle.
My daughter and I had it all planned. Before Hillary Clinton would take the stage to give a speech on becoming the next President of the United States, I was going to wake up my daughter. We had a hard hat ready to wear for the celebration, along with a hammer and a chisel to hold as we watched the thickest glass ceiling in the world shatter to pieces.
But that didn’t happen.
Leading up to the election, my daughter and I followed and dissected every word and move by the candidates. My daughter is homeschooled and we engaged in frequent political discussion throughout the year. When it finally came down to two candidates, we believed there was a clear choice as to whom should be the next President.
My daughter and I couldn’t believe Donald Trump had made it as far as he did. He called a woman a pig, pretended to convulse as he made fun of a handicapped reporter, praised Vladimir Putin, and is not opposed for Muslims to register for a database.
And then this comment from your next President: “I’ve gotta use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump said. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful ― I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait… And when you’re a star they let you do it… You can do anything… Grab them by the p***y… You can do anything.”
Apparently, he can do anything. He was elected to the highest position in the world. And you know he sits in his shiny gold office with a big smug smile on his face while he pats himself on the back for getting away with all the horrible things he said.
Election night, I sat disbelieving that the American people overlooked all the things he said and elected him President. His picture will hang in schools and offices around the country. Let that sink in. Young girls are going to sit in a classroom while Donald J. Trump’s picture hangs on the wall behind them, knowing that he said he, “can do anything,” including, “kissing them,” and “grab[bing] them by the p***y”
Handicapped children will sit in classrooms and stare at a picture of a man that shook while making fun of a handicapped reporter.
Muslim students will see a photo of a man that vilified them throughout his campaign.
Immigrants will see a photo of a man that disparages them repeatedly.
That’s who we elected President.
I believe the Country made a huge mistake. We didn’t just blur the lines of what is appropriate behavior, we erased them. We showed our daughters that their bodies do not belong to them and we showed our sons that with the right amount of power, they can get away with anything. And people will love them for it.
On January 20th, my family and I will watch Donald Trump be sworn in as the 45th President. We will pray for him. We will pray for our country. I will pray for all those little eyes that want to be President when they grow up. And I’ll pray for all those little eyes that do not think they’ll ever have a chance.
Also read:
Facing a Trump Presidency: Finding hope in Rocky and Nathan Bedford Forest
Parenting, Protesting, and Educating: Hoping the World Will be Able to Breathe