As of this hour, former President and now President-elect Donald Trump has secured his second term as the forty-seventh President of the United States. Trump’s victory comes after winning key battleground states Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
As for the popular vote, Trump was victorious there as well, winning by a one-and-a-half-percent margin. Despite these results, it’s evident that there remains a significant social and political problem in the United States, where politically-motivated violence, social unrest, crime and general instability have become rampant over the years since the death of George Floyd.
However, I’d say the fact that it was even this close is ominous for the years ahead. This was as clear as it gets for an election, that the incumbents (both Biden and Harris) are wholly unfit for any office, that they present a real and present danger where they’re allowed within twelve thousand miles of a school zone, let alone anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This was as clear as it gets for any election, whether for student council or chief executive, that the clear and obvious choice (considering the lackluster alternatives outside of the two major parties and the dropping out of a key contender, Robert Kennedy, Jr.) was Donald Trump, the candidate championing the people’s cause, the man whose very slogan is Make America Great Again, the man who was martyred as the target of several assassination attempts, the man whose campaign (more than anything) symbolizes the criticism of corruption, the draining of the swamp; and yet the fact that it was even this close indicates that we have an irreconcilable divide within our country, over not just abstract political ideology but foundational values and general attitudes toward truth, honesty and personal responsibility.
I also caution against too much optimism for this reason: the economy is likely to continue to deteriorate before it is able to sustainably improve, and this phase will continue under Trump’s administration, meaning that he and his administration will assume blame, however warranted; there are simply too many negative trends and unresolved fundamental problems that can be reconciled only through sweeping economic changes, a severe economic recession, an honest reconciliation of debts, and a large-scale purging of toxic assets and malinvestnents.
Another concern of mine is this: that this election, by appearing more legitimate, may restore some measure of faith in contemporary government and the electoral process where it is not warranted.
As Americans, we must remember that it is limited government and maximal liberty which have distinguished our political system from others across the globe. We must remember that it is our obligation as Americans to maintain accountability in government, to preserve our principles, our heritage, and the mandates enshrined within our Constitutions, at both the federal and state levels. It is our calling, for the purposes of continuing the tradition of American exceptionalism and preserving for our heirs the conditions which enable prosperous and fulfilling lives.
That is our calling, not the mere election of “conservative” or Republican candidates for office.
The election of the lesser of evils, or in this case the only sensible option on the ballot, will never be our highest cause nor the panacea it is so often assumed to be.
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