This is America

Donald Trump is President of the United States again. Republicans also won the Senate. However, the story of America is still being written, and many of us will do whatever we can to never go back.

I confess I had more faith in America.

I overestimated my fellow Americans.

I assumed that people would be willing to turn the page and elect the first female President, a daughter of Black and Indian immigrants who prosecuted criminals. Instead, Americans decisively decided to elect a twice-impeached criminal who was held liable for sexual assault and ended his campaign with numerous blunders, including spouting racism, misogyny, and threatening violence against his critics.

To make it worse Trump is on track to win the popular vote.

I was wrong. I assumed the numbers would break for Harris. I thought she’d win the popular vote and take 300+ in the electoral college based on the swing states. I expected Latinos would break for her at the last second due to Trump’s rampant misogyny. I assumed “enough” white men and women would finally discard him, but nope.

This is America.

I was here in 2016 when I assumed that Clinton would beat Trump. I was at the Javits Center when so many women were waiting for the balloons to drop. But, he won by a whisker. I returned to the Huffington Post office and comforted many young women. But that was 9 years ago before Roe v. Wade was overturned and Trump incited a violent insurrection. I assumed that this country would reject a man who performed fellatio on a microphone the week ahead of the election, but I was wrong.

This is America.

I went on Piers Morgan and said I would eat halal crow if I was wrong, and I’ll stand by it. I don’t mind falling on my sword and convictions. Yes, MAGA will mock and ridicule me, but I can take it. I’m more worried about our democracy, our rule of law, and our hard-earned freedoms. Regardless of who was going to win, I knew this would be the beginning of the long fight. I just apologized to my wife for not doing more, but honestly, I did what I could. To those who read The Left Hook and appreciated my bold and foolish optimism, I’m sorry if I disappointed you. I’m not the only one who was wrong if you look at some of the most reliable pollsters that predicted Harris would win.

I know there will be a lot of blame going around. It was Biden! It was Harris! He should’ve stayed in the race! He should’ve resigned sooner! It was Gaza! But, I think the answer was clear a majority of us in the United States of America believed things were headed in the wrong direction and that economy was bad even though President Biden improved upon the disaster that he inherited from Trump. We are dealing not just with racism and misogyny, which are rooted in American soil, but also massive right-wing media monopoly and disinformation in which many of our Americans live on Earth 3. Also, it should be much bigger news that Russia actively interfered in our election on election day with fake bomb threats aimed at reliably Democratic counties in swing states.

Considering Trump won the electoral college and popular vote - as of now at least - this was a repudiation of the current Administration. Enough people thought Trump will make their lives better. Yes, it’s painful to admit that, but this is where we are because this is America. A potential silver lining is that Democrats might hold the House which would act as a small check, but my hope has always been in the people. Considering we went from Bush to Obama to Trump to Biden and now back to Trump, I realize there are enough fickle voters in my country. I believe Trump will be a dysfunctional, chaos agent who will fuck up because that’s who he is and what he will always be. I do not believe JD Vance will be able to hold the MAGA cult if/when Trump passes away, but the GOP is now thoroughly cannibalized by right-wing extremism and has peeled off enough young people and men of color. UFC’s Dana White hailed Joe Rogan, Theon Von, and Adin Ross from the Trump victory rally. Billionaire techno bros like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and their cadre of privileged men who feel perpetually victimized and aggrieved by women and people of color are also big winners.

I remain hopeful we can win back the majority because Republicans are terrible at governing. Their policies are unpopular because they fail and always cause immense harm, especially to their own base. The center must now hold and it can only do so if we, the people, organize and resist. If we still have elections in 2026 and 2028 (inshallah), I believe there can be another realignment because what I’ve learned from the past 10 years is that Americans are a fickle bunch and anything can happen. 

I grew up a sick, left-handed kid who wore Husky pants and couldn’t speak English even though I was born here, which means I’m used to being the underdog. I always love being in an honorable, righteous fight especially when the deck seems stacked against me and my friend. I’ll be here writing to make sure my voice and our stories keep living.

I hope you’ll join me.

Onward.