By Anthony Giachin ’17, Guest Writer

America has spoken. After what has been a strenuous and exhausting year and a half of campaigning for not only the candidates, but for the nation as a whole, a decision has been made. The United States of America has elected Donald J. Trump as our new President. Despite the clear advantage predicted for Hillary Clinton in the many polls taken leading up to election day, Trump, with the help of his silent supporters, was able to pull off one of the biggest upsets in political history by winning key swing states, such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to ultimately reach the magic number of 270 electoral college votes. It is safe to say that Trump’s victory has successfully shocked the country, regardless of what side one supports. As one of the most highly anticipated and controversial presidential elections in recent history, we must step back and evaluate what this means for our country now that a decision has been made.

First and foremost, America has taken a huge stride this year by deviating from the traditional idea of a politician. By electing a president who is a businessman with no prior political experience, America’s vote has shown how sick the country is of the do-nothing nature of traditional politicians. With all of the empty promises made by politicians in the past, Americans are desperate for a change. With Hillary Clinton, the quintessential politician being the opposition to Donald Trump, someone who many regard as untrustworthy and has been under investigation, this election was the perfect time for America to display its disenchantment with the established political system. And that they did. America made it clear that it is in dire need of someone who will get things done and challenge the traditional, “political” way of doing things. Donald Trump has supplied this option to American citizens, and their voice was heard in the election. Donald Trump is far from an ordinary candidate, with his fair share of flaws. He has undoubtedly made crude and insulting comments that are clearly unacceptable and offensive. However, Trump has been one to tell it like it is without beating around the bush. With Trump, you know what you are going to get because he is one of the few politicians who seek to get to the root of problems and give an unfiltered opinion on solutions.  Even before his election, Donald Trump has flipped modern politics on its head because of his controversial antics and rhetoric, but this deviation from the status quo has played a large role in his ability to win over Americans and ultimately win the presidency. Despite his hostile rhetoric, he has offered what have been promising economic, immigration, and foreign affair platforms which have added substance to his campaign. It is fair to say that Donald Trump’s presidency will be like none we have ever seen.

Beyond the actual election of Donald Trump, the reaction of Americans is equally as important in evaluating the future of our nation. Because of the outcome that had been expected, a large part of the population of the country is in disbelief and outrage. Many people refusing to accept the  the election results, yet ironically these are the same people who scolded Mr. Trump for saying before the election that he might not accept the results. Protests  against Donald Trump have already occurred; some have even gotten violent, as in a demonstration in New Orleans where protests ended with broken store windows and graffiti reading “Die Whites Die.” This wave has also hit Newark Academy community, as social media has exploded with posts regarding the disapproval of the new President-elect. Normal disagreement in the form of sharing opinions along with well-thought-out arguments against the results are encouraged in order to stimulate healthy discussion; however, the manner in which people have been displaying their opinions is unfortunate and frankly disappointing. There have been many claims that this election shows how “America hates women” or that this nomination has uprooted all of the progress made within the last century. There have been reports of women who feel dehumanized and personally attacked by the United States’ decision. Comparisons between Trump and Hitler, arguably the most hated man in human history, have been expressed on social media. There have also been blatant attacks towards people who support Donald Trump, ostracizing and generalizing people solely based on their political views and selection. These posts are counterproductive in the attempt to unify America under its new leader. Donald Trump has not stepped into the Oval Office, yet people are already evaluating his presidency. Donald Trump has not  made a single political move as president yet the fact  that people are already giving up hope in our future leader immediately upon election gives rise to serious issues within our nation. We live in a democracy for a reason: for the voice of this nation to be heard.

Donald Trump will be our next president. Regardless of your sentiment towards him and what he has done in the past, there is no changing the fact that on January 20, 2017, he will be sworn into office and will become the 45th President of the United States of America. As  an American, I urge all of you to rally behind and support our leader if we want our country to strengthen and prosper in the future. As Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided cannot stand,” and those words could not ring more true today. There is hostility throughout our school, our state, and our country. We must give Donald Trump a chance to be the president. We must give him the opportunity to grow and develop as a politician and hopefully do what is best for our great nation.

Before we are Republicans or Democrats, we are all Americans. We all live in the same country and we all are united under the desire to have what is best for this nation. For this reason, I urge all Americans to move on from the presidential campaign and be hopeful of what the future will hold. It is no secret that the United States of America will drastically change within the next four years, but to say if it will change for better or worse at this point is simply illogical. The jury is still out on this historic decision that America has made. We all must wait and see how President Trump will fare in the White House, but before then, no conclusions can be made. Let us all hope that America will continue to grow and be the great country it has always been.