Trump’s Terrifying Triumph
*co-authored by the ever-optimistic Kit Nicholson who knows how to turn anger into action.
America, you messed up. What is wrong with you?!
You’re acting like a teenager making reckless decisions not fit for grown-up life, on a path to total destruction. And you’re destroying the rest of the world along with you.
Listen, I’ve worked on violence for decades, I know the signs, so I gotta tell you: You’re in a toxic relationship with an abuser. It’s a cycle of violence. But you’re not just a victim. The thing is, you too are violent. You are a violent society. You’ve shown the world your true colors — and they are scary. Not just with this election, but in the last year. And throughout your history.
Had you not been a society that glorifies violence, perhaps you would not have elected an abuser. The other candidate was not without very serious flaws, but this person is dangerous to you. He only loves himself, spewing venomous bile at anyone who does not look like him.
And he hates people like me: women, people of color, pro-choicers, Arabs, believers in multilateralism, Palestinians (or even just pro-Palestinians), and just about every identity I have and everything I stand for. You’ve hurt my people enormously over the last year. And you’ll hurt them more as this dark future unfolds.
I don’t know what to say today.
The land to which I pay taxes, the land I have spent many years in, is one I neither recognize nor understand. And this stupid system… a race to 270 that leaves out millions… an undemocratic democratic system… a two-party system where we’re sandwiched between two shitty choices. Time to look yourself in the mirror and figure yourself out.
I am not going to stop trying to make the world better — but it has just gotten a lot harder.
Let’s talk about what that really means.
For women… It’s no secret that this is a major setback for women’s rights and gender equality. We’ll feel this in many ways, probably starting below the belt. Trump will, quite literally, grab us by the pussy, as he says, and strip us of our reproductive rights.
Trump has stated that he intends to deliver full abortion rights into the hands of the States. With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, we already saw many GOP-led states immediately enact near total abortion bans at six weeks of pregnancy. And yet, at the same time, he stated that he doesn’t intend to enact a total abortion ban nationally.
I remain skeptical here. Firstly, the majority of his voter base is in favor of a total ban. And, Trump isn’t exactly known for his honesty. So, proceed with caution.
Globally, we should expect to see an expansion of restrictions that could cripple efforts to deliver women’s health. The Global Gag Rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy) is the US government policy restricting federal funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing abortion services, counseling, or referrals. The policy was first implemented by the Reagan administration in 1985 and has been enforced by Republicans and rescinded by Democrats.
Women’s rights, bodies, and lives are not a light switch to be flicked on or off based on whoever is in power. But here we are.
This policy undermines women’s health by reducing access not just to abortion but also family planning, HIV prevention, maternal healthcare. The poorest and most vulnerable will pay the price. And as a result, we’ll see unsafe abortions, unintended pregnancies, increase of sexually transmitted infections, and higher rates of maternal mortality. We’ll lose years of progress.
After Trump’s announced victory, social media was flooded with comments of “your body, my choice” along with a host of other misogynist slurs.
Wait… there’s more proof of dark days ahead.
Trump has also stated that he intends to revoke Title IX protections against sexual assault and ask Congress to only legally recognize two genders, male and female. Project 2025, a product of the alt-right Heritage Foundation, calls upon the government to repeal the workplace sex anti-discrimination legislations that were put in place in the ’60s. This means sex-based discrimination in the workplace will be… legal? And experts are saying that a Trump presidency will impede progress towards equal pay, given historical antagonism against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
And… JD Vance, Trump’s to-be vice president, has called professional women who choose not to have children on a “path to misery.”
As far as Palestine and Lebanon go, Trump has already promised his continuing support of the Israeli regime but has yet to outline a plan for Palestine and Lebanon. Everyone is expecting him to be even more supportive of Israel’s scorched earth policies than the previous Democratic administration — if that were even possible.
Will the US continue to fund the genocide in Gaza and active enable Israel to continue its crimes with American tax dollars? Yes.
Will Trump continue his toxic masculine alliance with Netanyahu — a monster, a war criminal, a man who chooses violence at every turn. Trump thinks Netanyahu “knows what he’s doing,” as he’s said, meaning that peace for Palestine (and Lebanon) is all but impossible.
So four more years… now what?!
The outgoing Democrats were far from perfect… no universal healthcare, no right to abortion codified into national law, no awareness of working class realities and priorities, and certainly no shortage of weapons to Israel, no accountability for crimes against humanity, and no ceasefire in Palestine or Lebanon.
There is so much to be said and, if your social media feed is anything like mine, you’re being bombarded with analyses, commentary, criticism of the election. Why did white women overwhelmingly vote for Trump? Why didn’t the Greens get 5% of the national vote? Did the Uncommitted Movement really accept bribe money from the Democrats? Why were news outlets saying that Black men would lead Donald Trump to victory in the days leading up to the election? What’s going to happen to Gaza now? Why are the Democrats so out of touch with the working class and real American life? How is Trump even allowed to still be president after being impeached AND convicted of sexual assault? Will America ever be ready for a woman at the helm?
My head is filled with questions. And we aren’t going to get any answers — at least not satisfying ones. So, where does this leave us? Our government won’t save us. The systems in place won’t save us. And those with power and resources certainly won’t save us.
We’ll have to save ourselves. And — each other. I’m tapping into the collective energy and inspiration of my feminist activist community.
“Resistance and optimism are now our plan of action!” one said.
“We can do better than the status quo of the Democratic platform — we need to support each other’s lives and livelihoods,” advised another.
“We survived it before and we will survive it again now. The difference this time is that we know what to expect — and we’ll be better prepared,” another posted.
“We’ve got four years to organize at the community level now, and build up a candidate who really represents us,” one friend said.
“Our issues are as political as ever, and our demands for change as strong as ever,” said another activist.
And finally… “Now is not the time to quit. Rest, yes. But don’t quit.”
