On November 5th, 2024, the United States took to the polls. On November 5th, 2024, the American people failed the nation.

One by one, starting on the east coast, spreading slowly west, the first tallies began to come in. The 7 swing states, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia. North Carolina was the first swing state to fall, being called for Donald Trump at 11:18 PM ET. Georgia, 12:58 AM ET the next day. Pennsylvania, 2:24 AM ET. Finally, the last swing state to matter, Wisconsin, was called for Donald J. Trump at 5:30 AM, ET, on November 6th. 

I always had a fear inside of me over the possibility of a Trump victory. I am/was a Kamala Harris supporter. I watched as AP News, one of the largest and more factual news organizations covering the election, called each state one by one though the New York Times app. I watched as liberal X, formerly known as Twitter, began to, for the lack of better words, panic. I did not want a Trump presidency, but I had to watch. I was too young to vote but not too young to not feel the ramifications.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz had managed to outraise Former President Trump, now President Elect Trump, and Senator J.D Vance, now Vice President Elect J.D Vance, on a massive scale. From January 2023 to October 16, the Harris campaign had fundraised $997.2 million, compared to the Trump Campaign’s $388 million. Harris was also qualified, having spent time as Attorney General of San Francisco, Senator of California, and finally Vice President of the United States. Trump had little to no experience in government except for his previous four year term. Harris had also managed to receive endorsements from prominent Republican figures such as Liz Cheney. I believed she was going to win, while close, a victory nonetheless.

I stood up at night until 11:30 pm, PT. I had to go to sleep, but it was difficult. I still tried to remain optimistic, but Georgia had been called for Trump. Harris was underperforming. I was left in disbelief and nervousness. This included fear. I was scared of what was going to happen tomorrow, and what a Trump presidency will bring. That fear changed into anger. Why did people vote for third parties? Were people not sensible? Did people do research? A Trump victory looked like a nightmare. To try to get to sleep, I tried being optimistic and thinking about other things to distract my mind. I had always been optimistic, but the morning killed it. I saw at 6:51 AM, AP news had called the race for Trump. All I felt was numbness, and I still kind do feel it. I think I’m in my “justification phase” of recognizing the results. But I want to know for sure what his presidency will entail.

Reproductive Rights & Health

Trump will not protect reproductive rights. Previously, he had stated “After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone”. Trump will not sign a bill to codify Roe v. Wade, which the supreme court had previously ruled in favor or abortion rights. Additionally, Project 2025, a plan written by conservatives including former Trump Administration members have called for restrictive action, not just on access to abortions. Project 2025 calls for the restriction of access to birth control medication, emergency contraceptives, and other health services. It also calls for the establishment of a national abortion surveillance system that would require states to report personal details of patients. While only just part of the plan, it will entail a large restriction on reproductive rights, which Trump is expected to support.

In terms of Healthcare, Trump previously ran on undoing the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obama Care. The Affordable Care Act, ACA, increased health insurance coverage, reformed the health insurance market, and blocked insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Trump had backed out his plans to undo ACA, but in 2025, ACA subsidies to help millions afford health insurance are set to expire, and Trump has not stated if he would work to extend them. On top of that, Republicans in Congress are expected to repeal sections of the ACA, with a President Trump most likely not acting as a blocking force. As Trump previously said “I have concepts of a plan” on healthcare. Recently, Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary for the Department of Health & Human Services. Nomination of RFK Jr. could have drastic impacts on health. As an opponent of vaccines, the Trump Administration may fight against their use. Trump has promised not to give any schools with a vaccine mandate, which doesn’t just include a vaccine for Covid-19, federal money. Removing protections such as these could open the door for the return of previously destroyed viruses and illnesses such as Polio.

Immigration

Trump has plans for a wave of mass deportations. According to CBS News, the U.S houses around 11 million undocumented immigrants, 3% of the U.S population, and around 80% of them having lived in the U.S for over a decade. Vice President Elect Vance has stated that a reasonable deportation target would be one million immigrants a year. The American Immigration Council estimates that this plan would cost the U.S upwards of $316 billion. Undocumented immigrants comprise 25% of U.S farm workers, 19% of maintenance workers, 17% of construction workers, 12% of food preparation workers, all while paying billions of taxes and into services such as social security that they are unable to receive. Deportation of these workers that fill jobs most Americans do not want would cause a large increase in prices of food, housing, and other goods. Additionally, it would divide families and remove people who called the United States home for years. Most people don’t come to the U.S because they wanted to. They came out of necessity. To provide a life they didn’t have to their children, to escape poverty and violence, and set out a new course for themselves. Trump has also stated his intentions previously to end birthright citizenship for children of immigrants who entered illegally. Trump would most likely look to reimpose his Muslim Travel Ban, which blocked the influx of refugees from certain muslim majority countries. As the New York Times puts it, “Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration but curtail immigration overall.”

Education

Trump’s campaign proposed the disbandment of the U.S Department of Education, created by Former President Jimmy Carter. This plan would remove billions of dollars used to help fund low income and low achieving schools across the country. Why? To give states control over schools, not the federal government. Additionally, Trump has stated his approval for restricting certain content from being taught at schools at the federal level. On top of that, Trump’s agenda includes removing teacher tenure laws, which prevents school districts from firing teachers who have worked at a school for over a couple of years without due process. Dismantling the Department of Education would have serious consequences for high school students. FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid which provides federal grants, loans, work-study funds to students applying and going to higher education could be harmed along with Pell Grants. Additionally, The Department of Education provides aid to schools on funding special services and requires schools to help provide a learning environment to students with disabilities. 

A Trump Presidency will also bring cuts in research funding to universities across the United States. The University of California System received billions of dollars in federal research funds, which could be on the chopping block under a republican administration. The Head Start Program, which provides early education, nutrition/food, and healthcare programs to low income students and families could see cuts to its budget. 

Climate Change

Trump, who previously stated, “They say the noise [noise generated from windmills] causes cancer” will not prioritize protecting the climate. His policy, “drill, baby, drill” would aim to dismantle climate protecting initiatives. In his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accords, an international treaty between countries aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions which President Biden rejoined. Electric Vehicles purchasing incentives in the form of tax credits put in place by the Biden Administration is something Trump wants to target, and remove. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed under the Biden Administration which provided incentives to provide subsidies for wind farms, nuclear power, provided help in reducing coal plant and other CO2 emissions, and more would be hit by a Trump Administration. The Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be re-opened to oil drilling by a Trump Administration also, causing ecological damage and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Also, removing Biden Administration investments in climate policies could cost the U.S billions in lost investment and exports.

Affecting California more is possible changes to the U.S Forest Service, which manages our forests. Project 2025, which Trump has remained distant from but his former aids wrote, calls for allowing more companies to log in national forests. Also, in Trump’s first term, he weakened the Endangered Species Act. This involved making it easier for an endangered animal to be removed from the list, and in turn, reducing their protections. Tribal Leaders have also begun to worry about the new republican administration. Project 2025 would restructure Native American services, including healthcare, education, housing, and etc. 

California Emergency Aid

California faces massive wildfires every year. Also, earthquakes pose a great risk to schools and communities along with flooding from large storms. The President is responsible for approving federal emergency aid to states to help fight and recover from natural disasters. In 2018, as California faced deadly wildfires, Trump held back on approving federal aid for partisan issues. Former National Security official under Trump stated, ““We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you,” Before approving aid, Trump hesitated because the state was majority Democratic. In 2019, Trump threatened to block a bill in congress that would have FEMA pay 100% of all disaster costs in Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria hit. Two months after that, he issued an executive order requiring FEMA to pay 100% of disaster costs in Florida, a republican state. The bill to help Puerto Rico never passed. Trump may halt aid to California and other states if they face disasters because of political disagreements.

Economy

Cost of Living/Tariffs: Trump has stated his plans to impose a 10-20% tariff on all foreign goods, but goes further with a suggested tariff of upwards of 60% on Chinese manufactured goods. A 100-200% tariff on vehicles made in Mexico to combat the move of U.S car manufacturers to the country would be slapped on top of his other tariffs. Economists warn that this plan would increase the cost of living in the U.S and cause inflation to rise more than it naturally would. The Harris Campaign estimated that that 20% tariff would cost families $4,000 a year.
Taxes: Although, his campaign wishes to extend his Tax cuts in 2025. A bill passed during his 1st term, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which provided these cuts. While it did lower taxes for all, it has been criticized for helping the wealthy more than others. Trump will also lower the Corporate Tax Rate from 35% down to 21% while removing taxes on tips, social security benefits, and overtime pay. The issue is, these plans are expected to lead to a quicker depletion of Social Security, emptying the trust fund by 2031 and cutting benefits to people by 30%.

Housing: The Trump Campaign does not have a formal housing policy, but Trump has promised to bring down the Mortgage Rates though lower interest rates, but the office of the president can’t affect interest rates set by the Federal Reserve. To lower housing costs, Trump has pushed for removing regulations to lower construction costs and opening up Federal Land for Housing. Trump has also previously floated the idea of Freedom Cities, involving a contest to create up to 10 new cities on Federal Land. Trump hasn’t elaborated on his plan, and has not included it on his campaign website. Most likely, tax credits will be used in some instances to assist home buyers.

Foreign Policy

With Russia and Ukraine clashing in the fields of Europe and Israel’s invasion of Gaza, Trump can affect Foreign Policy the most. In the undeclared war in Ukraine, Trump has promised to bring the war to a quick end once elected, but has not said how. Trump has criticized how much military, economic, and humanitarian aid has been sent to Ukraine. The thing is, the aid sent is beneficial for Ukraine and the U.S economy. Most of the aid Ukraine receives, Ukraine spends on American made goods such as ammunition, with defense manufacturer General Dynamics seeing revenues increase 25%. Also, foreign policy analysts state that funding Ukraine avoids a wider conflict in Europe. Ukraine acts as a barrier for Russian expansion and aggression, so if Ukraine is forced to surrender, Russia could focus on eroding NATO and growing Russian authority. Trump has also been critical of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which the U.S is a part of, along with many other countries. If one member of the alliance is attacked, the others will come to their aid. The only time this clause (if one member is attacked the others will assist) of the alliance was invoked was after 9/11, albeit, symbolically. The biggest role of NATO in the U.S is as a deterrent, encouraging countries not to attack because if they do, they will be fighting a war against most of Europe and North America, and this deterrent has kept war away.

In terms of Israel, Trump has thrown his support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu & Israel in their conflict against Hamas and Palestine. In the West Bank, and Gaza more prominently, Israel has been accused of violating international law. Amnesty International and the United Nations Commission found that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by Israel in their invasion of Gaza. Trump previously said, “do what you have to do”. Trump would most likely remove pressure the Biden-Harris administration placed on Israel to end the conflict and provide humanitarian assistance, and Trump has named Mike Huckabee, a pro-israeli figure, as ambassador to Israel.

Civil Rights

LBTQ+, immigrants, abortion, and basic civil rights are under risk under a Trump Administration. As president, Trump referred to prominent critics as the “enemy from within” and threatened to use the U.S Department of Justice to to target these “enemies from within.” On top of that, Trump would use his office to escape federal investigations by the Justice Department. The first one was a charge for plotting to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and the second was for illegally hoarding classified documents in his personal residence in Florida. Some of these documents were kept in his bathroom, where they were seized in an FBI raid. Trump could order the DOJ to close the cases against him, and use Presidential immunity. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents had broad immunity from potentially criminal acts committed while they were in the white house, something Trump may use to his benefit. Escaping justice from state courts is more difficult, but still possible as President. The Manhattan District Attorney charged Trump with 34 felony accounts for a hush money scheme, with sentencing set to be due soon.  Trump could escape sentencing with presidential immunity reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. 

In terms of LBTQ+ rights, they may be the most affected. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex and gender under any educational program receiving Federal Aid. This prohibits sex based discrimination which the Biden Administration says also covers gender and sexual identity, using the law to add new protections to people who identify as LGBTQ+. Trump could reverse this choice the Biden Administration made. Also, he has supported banning transgender student athletes from joining and playing in sports that align with their sexual identity. The ACLU has stated that it fears Trump would encourage or even require discrimination by the federal government, one way being banning gender-affirming medical care in Federal healthcare programs and to those serving in the Armed Forces. 

Final Thoughts

Trump will become president once again. My emotions have changed, from fear and nervousness, to determination and belief. The United States has faced hardships before, triumphing and strengthening as a country. Safeguards exist to protect institutions and people. In Trump’s first term, many Trump administration policy proposals were halted by the courts. The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to fight unconstitutional and unjust laws and acts. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom called a special session of the California Legislature to increase California legal resources to fight back unconstitutional and illegal acts taken by the Trump Administration. In this election, we also saw something important happen. While republicans took control of the Senate, they failed to gain a substantial majority in the House, opening the way to House Democrats forming a wall of opposition. Making the situation worse for Republicans, Trump has been choosing House Republicans needed to maintain a majority for various cabinet positions. The Biden Administration appointed 200 judges in just the first two years of his presidency which will act as a safeguard against Trump. The U.S will be harmed but not destroyed under this presidency. Democracy shines brighter as the sun sets.