A glimpse into the next four years and how to stay hopeful
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The results of the 2024 presidential election have left many feeling disappointed, frustrated and overwhelmed — a sentiment shared by The California Aggie’s Editorial Board. In the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican nominee has won the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency.
Amid this trepidation and fear, it is vitally important to remain vigilant, educated and committed — now more than ever. The Editorial Board encourages you to do research on how the United States government operates, understand what a second Trump Administration means and commit yourself to remaining politically involved.
While the focus during an election is often centered on the soon-to-be United States President, the U.S. system of checks and balances make other branches of government just as important. Alongside Trump’s return to the White House is the expected Republican supermajority in all three branches of government: Legislative (Congress, including the Senate and House of Representatives), Executive (the U.S. President) and Judicial (the Supreme Court).
The other branches of government serve to reduce the singular power of the president, but a Republican majority in all branches of government increases the ability of the Trump Administration to enact harmful policies and legislation. For more information on the specific powers of each branch, USAGov has a guide provided on its website.
President-elect Trump has made many promises throughout his campaign — ones he plans on keeping. On topics of reproductive rights, immigration and economic policy, Trump has promised to harm American people and American freedoms. While many right-leaning voters focused on Trump’s plans to leave decisions on abortion bans to the states, “control the border” and reduce inflation, the lack of education and abundance of disinformation was prevalent during the election.
A common argument seen during the Trump Campaign was that reproductive freedoms were not being called into question — instead of a nationwide abortion ban, he decided to leave it to the states. However, to assume that a woman’s reproductive freedom is protected would be a mistake. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a constitutional right upheld for almost half a century, the Supreme Court put the lives of women in the hands of the states. The Republican majority in the Supreme Court made this happen, with three of the six Republican justices appointed by Trump in his first term.
As of right now, 17 states have abortion bans — spanning from conditional to complete. Make no mistake, allowing the states to control reproductive rights or a national abortion ban will lead to a greater loss of life. In states with higher abortion restrictions, studies have shown a higher maternal mortality rate. In other words, abortion bans do not decrease the prevalence of abortions — abortion bans increase the deaths of women.
Another aspect of Trump’s campaign was his promise to boost the American economy and reduce inflation through imposing tariffs and tax cuts on the wealthy. The misconception that tariffs are taxes against other countries rather than taxes on imports — a cost then directly applied to consumers — is extensive and, as it turns out, Trump’s economic plan is set to cause higher inflation, a decrease in employment and a lower national income. This, alongside Trump’s promise to enact mass deportation, will have an overall negative impact on the United States’ economic trajectory.
Trump’s stance on immigration is at best economically unsound and at worst racist and rooted in bigotry. The president-elect has prioritized border control and mass deportation as one of the first actions of his return to office — stating that there is “no price tag” on mass deportation. Additionally, Trump has pledged to end the fundamental right of individuals born in the United States: birthright citizenship. There is only one outcome of Trump’s racist rhetoric against immigrants: the destabilization of families and economic fallout.
It’s unsurprisingly difficult to sum up all of the Trump Administration’s harmful promises and policies, and this editorial barely scratches the surface. From international relations — including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war — to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community to the status of Project 2025 — the list of communities set to be harmed by a second Trump term is not short.
So, where does that leave us? While the impacts the results of this election will have on both domestic and foreign affairs have the potential to be devastating, it is important to not lose yourself to hopelessness and complacency. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom recently called a special session to protect state residents and uphold state values, including reproductive freedom, civil rights, climate action and immigrant families. Additionally, several states in the U.S. voted to protect a woman’s right to choose, including Colorado, New York and Nevada.
The Editorial Board acknowledges and shares your grief and fear, but we strongly encourage you to choose action over complacency. It is not enough to tune into politics and current events in the months leading up to the presidential election, and it is not enough to be upset after the race is called. Instead, channel your frustration into action: vote locally and not just every four years, challenge the thoughts of the people around you and keep yourself updated on new government policies and who they affect. We can control our actions, who we interact with and how we choose to spend the next four years of our lives: resigned and powerless, or dedicated and united.
Written by: The Editorial Board
