It was with bated breath that each person around the world waited for each state’s voting results to come in for the 2016 American President Election. Election night started off positive, optimistic and fun with everyone chatting excitedly and debating the potential outcomes of the election, confident in their candidate’s power to win. However, as the night wore on, and as Donald Trump seemed to gain more and more electoral votes, the optimism dimmed for Hillary Clinton supporters and anxiety began to set in – not only in medicine but on social media from people around the world. Almost everybody I know supports Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. And, unfortunately for us (Hillary supporters), in the early hours of Wednesday morning, hope for Hillary waned and, as social media and news outlets exploded with the news, Trump claimed the US presidency.
Many on campus and on social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat were disappointed and saddened by this news, expressing their anger vividly. While it’s wonderful that the world can come together in times of hope, strife and important historical events, we must remember that the majority of us, being British, European, Asian and many other nationalities, are not the primary people that this election will affect. It is the American people, particularly those that currently live in the United States, that will suffer or benefit the most from the outcome of this presidential election. There are fears among minorities and members of the LGBT+ community in the US concerning their status, lifestyle and survival following this election. They are the ones primarily affected by the election and we all must remember this as the Trump presidency sets in. There are many people questioning the safety of staying in the US and many Muslim women are considering not wearing a hijab outside due to rising xenophobic and racial issues that have come to light during the presidential election. That is the true issue of Trump being elected president; many now think it is okay for their racism and xenophobia to be expressed outwardly. It is a well-known fact that racist and xenophobic incidents rose in occurrence in the immediate aftermath of Brexit earlier in the year and people are not expecting anything different from the immediate aftermath of Trump being elected president.
It is saddening to see these people fearing for their lives as a result of the Trump presidency and in these times of uncertainty, we must all have faith and stand with each other in support and empathy.
#imwithher
Michele Theil 