The White House. Photo courtesy of Suzy Brooks/Unsplash.
Let me set the scene. It’s just before the election in November of 2024 and President Trump, after running away with a re-election victory in 2020, is poised to complete his eight years as President effectively unscathed. His advisors are finally able to convince him to allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller the space for his investigation. Their gamble with the law pays off, big-time. Not only is Mr. Mueller continuing his investigation without worry of losing his job, but the inquiry seems to have lost much of its firepower and headline-grabbing clout. In the beginning, it seemed that Mueller was destined to find his smoking gun. He has yet to uncover anything that could prove troublesome for the President and serve as impeachment bait for liberals everywhere. Even the frequent and crippling editorials like ones written in The New York Times and The Washington Post have no effect on “Teflon Don.”
One positive that Democrats manage to scrape together is a majority in both houses of Congress, ever since the 2018 midterm elections. The resurgence of Democrats allows them to pass significant legislation, aiding millions of Americans. But their dream of Trump’s removal from office remains elusive. With election day looming and a first-time candidate in a young, no-name liberal upstart, re-taking the White House seems all but doomed to fail. They struggle to unify, still reeling from Trump’s 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton. It’s an absolute nightmare for Democrats who long for a party leader to emerge from the shadows. So, where do we go next?
There are those who look to the future and see only bleak darkness ahead of us. I respectfully disagree. The path towards that future may be one untraveled, untested, unexplored, but that doesn’t make walking it absurd. Moving forward, any newly anointed liberal savior must not doubt that America after Trump exists. There will be life after Trump. He’s all but ensured it. By tweeting and saying whatever is on his mind, the President has given people on both sides of the political aisle headaches. Even his allies flee. With nearly 30 major staff departures, his own appointments have sent the President a vote of no-confidence. His unpredictability and inclination to show disdain for anyone who looks at him the wrong way does not compare to the anger and resentment he breeds daily within the hearts and minds of liberals everywhere. They take no comfort in a man who openly brags about sexually harassing and assaulting women. To them, he is a morally corrupt narcissist who must be stopped, if only for the sake of our country. Likewise, people around the world can only shake their heads in solidarity with fellow American dissenters, wondering to themselves, “what happened?”
However, Trump is not synonymous with our country’s downfall. On the contrary, he will be the catalyst for an American Renaissance. The end of his presidency, whenever that might be, will provide us the prospect of re-branding our image in the eyes of the world. After he is gone, we the people have a remarkable opportunity to remake American morality. But, if we are to truly move past our 45th President and into America reborn, we must be wary of focusing on an outcome unlikely to happen. Impeachment cannot be seen as a safety net that will catch us. We have to actively prove to the rest of the world that we deserve to be taken seriously again. But our work cannot wait until after Trump leaves office. Preparations for a post-Trump America need to start now. The counter-revolutions that came out in full force on Jan. 20, 2017 and haven’t stopped since, have to continue. It’s simple physics—every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Protests like the “Women’s March,” the “March for Science,” and the “March for Our Lives,” that are in response to legislation passed by the administration, are vital to surviving post-Trump America. They serve as a way for us as Americans to push across a message that there has to be a better way forward. Therefore, their voices cannot be quashed, nor can they fall silent out of complacency or fatigue. It’s a sprint to the finish line, and we need a second-wind.
In addition to continued civil disobedience, the term “non-voter” should be eradicated from our post-Trump’s America vocabulary. It is a term coined to describe those who are registered to vote, but choose not to. A civic duty of all of ours is to vote, if possible. This is the only way that meaningful change can be affected. One would hope, and even assume, that Trump’s divisive rhetoric and actions, from even before he took office, have made apathy impossible. It must awaken our sense of duty and call to mind the immortal words of President John Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country. There is simply too much at stake for us to wait on the sidelines for someone else to take charge. We have to do it ourselves.
Even more importantly, the standard to which we hold ourselves can fall no further than it already has. Our moral footing has only fallen in the eyes of countries around the world. Trump has made deflection of criticism the new normal. Instead of taking on several different opinions, we take the easy way out and follow the example of our President. We are now apt to lob insults back at people with whom we take issue. If we are to buck what has become the normal, a higher standard must be observed. The best way to start is by finding a way to communicate more effectively with those whom we disagree with. Remaining civil with people you have fundamental disagreements with is a necessity. Civility lends itself to constructive debates, and that’s where the real work gets done. It also happens to be a skill the President has yet to master. On an almost daily basis, he fails to hold his tongue when he is criticized. We as citizens have the right and responsibility to stand up for what we believe in, but that does not give us license to hurl insults simply because of a difference of opinion. Instead, hostilities on both sides of the aisle, need to be quelled.
You may disagree with President Trump’s policies and his propensity for enigmatic and sometimes maniacal behavior, but in order for our country to move forward and succeed, we need all hands-on deck. No excuses. Discouragement is counterproductive and should not be an option. The Presidency will continue, with both the good and the bad. Policy will come and go. That is all part of how democracy works. But if we are to learn anything from November 2016, it is that our work as stewards of the United States is never over. As we grow older, it is a responsibility of ours to leave behind something for our descendants. It is our responsibility to look ourselves in the mirror and ask why we shouldn’t make whatever we leave behind matter. Why shouldn’t the legacy that follows us until the end of time be one that we can be proud of? There is much work ahead, for all of us—that much we know. But it is work that can be done. If we part ways with the pathetic example set by the President and crawl our way into the light, there is little that can stop our American Renaissance.
