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After The Presidential Election, This Is What The U.S. Might Look Like — Did America Make The Right Choice? (Or Was It Even Our Choice At All?)

By Kevin Carneglia
Published on: 10:10 PST, Nov 9, 2016

Upsets like the one Donald Trump just pulled don’t happen every day. After a whirlwind election nobody could have predicted, even states that typically vote Democrat were electing to “Make America Great Again.” Even Trump had, at one point, prepared a concession speech.

It seems The Donald’s prediction that he could shoot someone in broad daylight and not lose voters appears true. So, what do we do now? How does America continue to move forward after the surprising election results? We may not have all the answers, but here are some of the facts.

Hillary Concedes To Trump

Hillary Clinton made a concession speech yielding to the president-elect early Wednesday afternoon. In her concession, the former secretary of state encouraged voters on both sides to keep “an open mind” towards Trump and unite as one nation. Though she had previously called the Orange One’s rhetoric divisive, Hillary accepted the results of the election as gracefully as she could.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton participating in the First Presidential Debate at Hofstra University, September 2016. [Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

President Obama, too, conceded that Trump had won decisively. As TheGlobe and Mail found, the current commander-in-chief even invited Donald to a meeting on Thursday to discuss how the transition would occur.

In her after-election speech, Clinton expressed hope that power would be transferred peacefully to her opponent. She called this transfer of power a “cherished” part of the American tradition.

House Party

Republicans also won overwhelming victories in the House and Senate. Fifty-one seats now belong to the Republican Party in the Senate, and 239 in the House of Representatives. Additionally, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan won re-election on the Republican ballot.

Ryan, who had previously been at war with Trump, is now stressing party unity over personal issues. TWCnews quoted Ryan on his feelings about the president-elect.

“He connected in ways with people no one else did. He turned politics on its head, and now Donald Trump will lead a unified Republican government”

So, what does that mean for those not in government?

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan holds a press conference one day after he won re-election. Ryan was re-elected this past Tuesday night. [Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

After The Election: The Next Four Years

Some have revolted against the election of Trump in their own subtle way. The hashtag #NotMyPresident began popping up on Twitter, and reports have surfaced that some Clinton supporters are burning the American flag. One person even went so far as to evoke a sense of disaster equated with the Trump campaign.

Stanford University even sent a letter reminding students that counseling was available for those who felt anxious about the election results.

The Post-Election Economy

Business Insider reports that the price of gold is down after Trump’s election. Whether the Republican presidential nominee’s election has anything to do with gold falling to $1.50 an ounce is unclear, but gold is dropping nonetheless. Some analysts have advised stockholders and investors to stay their course despite the change in presidents.

Meanwhile, stock prices have risen, with the Dow seeing a 1.40 percent increase after the election. Could this have to do with the proposed plan by Trump to bring jobs back to the U.S.?

Social Movements After The Election

One might think Trump had already launched a nuclear attack with the amount of backlash he’s receiving. As CBS News noted, Lady Gaga protested the election of the Orange One by standing outside Trump tower.

The pop star held signs saying “Love Trumps Hate” as she protested outside the billionaire’s tower. The singer tweeted asking everyone to “Pray for America”

The Orange One was gaining an early advantage Tuesday night.

As for the rights of LGBTQ persons, Trump has said in the past he would let each state decide whether to pass laws or not. Some fear that marriage equality could be reversed by the Supreme Court, while others in the LGBTQ community do not feel safe under the Trump/Pence administration.

Unnatural Election?

Do you know the difference between a popular and electoral Vote? Or how the Electoral College works? Not many people can honestly answer “yes.”

The Electoral College is made up of officials called electors (shocker) who come from each party to represent their state. The New York Times explains:

“The electors are appointed by the political parties in each state, so if you vote for Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, and Mr. Trump ends up winning the popular vote in your state, then electors that the Republican Party has chosen will cast votes for him in their state capitals in December.”

While the electors typically go with the majority of voters in their state, they don’t legally have to. In the end, an elector can vote any way they wish. In other words, a candidate can get more popular votes (cast by the public) than their opponent and still lose.

This was the case in 2016’s election, when Clinton earned 48 percent of the popular vote but lost the electors. History.com mentions that this also occurred in 1888, when Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but not the election after opponent Benjamin Harrison got more electoral votes.

Let us know what your thoughts are on the election below. Do opponents of Trump need to accept that he’s won the presidency? Or should they keep fighting him?

[Featured Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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