Charleston City Paper
The United States got off the path of freedom and opportunity on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with the reelection of Donald Trump for a second term as president.
A slim majority in swing states, captivated by his cult of personality, empty promises, isolationism, fear, racism and stream-of-narcissistic blathering, tapped Trump the felon to lead the nation for the next four years into what may become a new reckless governing experiment.
Tuesday’s election will be remembered as a sad day for America — a day the country’s bipartisan legacy of moving forward shifted backward, to how things were in the past.
And for many — particularly the young, infirm, poor and immigrants — the next four years will be scary. Trump’s threats of authoritarianism, inward-turning policies, lies and retribution will continue to cause chaos across the nation. Trump is a narcissist, not a healer-in-chief, as he showed in his first term with poor management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In fact, the 2024 election of Donald Trump and his congressional allies must have the Founding Fathers reeling. And veterans who died for freedom on battlefields across the world must be gobsmacked with tears in their eyes. The cause they championed — ensuring freedom to empower all Americans to have seemingly limitless opportunities in our republic — is less certain because of what’s likely to come out of a Washington dominated by the seething, MAGA-fueled GOP cult of Trump.
Among domestic questions: Will punitive tariffs cause everyday Americans to pay thousands of dollars more per year for imported goods, as economists predict? Will the GOP limit reproductive health care even more? Will Social Security face cuts? Are mass deportations of immigrants on the horizon? These would not be questions had Tuesday’s outcome been different.
But the questions don’t stop at the border. Will America’s allies, disappointed in Tuesday’s results, pull away? Will the United States stop fueling freedom efforts by Ukranian patriots as they try to kick out Russian invaders? Will the country be drawn into a new global war? Will China retaliate somehow?
As tornadic as national politics are now, state and local political affairs should be less chaotic — at least until the impact of Trump’s new policies start trickling down.
As we swim through the churning waters of democracy over the next four years, we must use all of our constitutional powers — including the powers of the minority — to protect our freedoms so that we can kick out the bums in 2028. To do less is to dishonor almost 250 years of American leadership.
Democracy dimmed across America on Tuesday. Let’s keep pressing to keep the lights on during the next four years so we get back onto the real path of freedom.
Charleston City Paper is an award-winning weekly newspaper in Charleston, S.C.
