After the Election, Here's What We Do Now

On Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump became President-Elect. By choosing Donald Trump as president of the United States, voters set our democracy on a perilous path. As editors, we try to avoid degrading The Lawrence’s reputation as a fair, public institution by using our editorial platform to promote political views. However, when anyone, including those outside our School’s borders, attacks the fundamental principles of free expression, liberty, and justice that undergird our Constitution and our paper, our fidelity to our country and The Lawrence’s founding principles demands that we take a stand. 

Americans must be clear-eyed about the incoming attacks on our laws and institutions from a second Donald Trump presidency. In word, he consistently embraced divisive, polarizing rhetoric, from allegedly calling veterans “suckers” and “losers” and his political opponents “vermin” to saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” In deed, Trump revealed his fundamental distaste for America’s laws and democratic norms. In 2020, he continuously spread false allegations of voter fraud that culminated in an attack on the United States Capitol, which left several dead, over a hundred police officers injured, and a tattered nation in its wake. After 2020, he asserted that parts of the Constitution should be “terminated” and later said, “I won't be a dictator except for Day 1.” He promised to use the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies “to the fullest extent of the law.” In action, Trump was convicted of breaking multiple laws for personal gain: he was criminally indicted multiple times for trying to overturn Georgia’s election results, mishandling classified documents, and enmeshing himself in a hush-money scandal with Stormy Daniels. His political platform calls for mass deportations, ending birthright citizenship, rolling back federal protections for LGBTQ+ people, and weakening climate change legislation. To reshape American education, Trump promises to withhold federal aid to K-12 public schools that do not yield to his demands. Consumed by personal vendetta, he seeks to terrorize those he hates, use the levers of government to advance his interests, and attack the people and institutions who stand in his way. While we may disagree about whether his rhetoric will translate into policy, we must acknowledge that in the final months of his campaign, Donald Trump was aggrieved with prejudice and intolerance, animated by rage and personal grievance, and on the prowl for unchecked power. 

However, what solidifies the danger of this moment is the robust network of loyalists Trump has cultivated. Republican leadership has shifted dramatically in his favor. The leader of the House Republicans is loyalist Mike Johnson, not Trump critic Paul Ryan. Mike Pence, who resisted Trump’s demands on January 6, was replaced by JD Vance, a self-professed devotee of Trumpism. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel, who countered Trump’s advances several times, is stepping down in November. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court gave Trump full immunity from prosecution for presidential actions. Those around him have drafted plans to fill the administrative state with loyalists who would bend to Trump’s whims. Nothing, and no one, is left to restrain his wildest impulses. 

Except us. We, the voters, comprise the last line of defense between Trump and the dictatorial power he openly pursues. The fall of our democracy is not inevitable. In this critical moment, we are responsible for ensuring the endurance of America’s fundamental values and institutions. Our Founding Fathers, with foresight into our political moment, gifted us constitutional safeguards meant to resist demagogues and protect our democratic institutions, like the First Amendment. During the next four years, we must use these powers—of speech, of press, of peaceful assembly— to defend American values, ideas, institutions, and freedoms. When Donald Trump abuses his power, Americans must use their power—their voices, their resources, and their ballots— to organize and stand up to his advances. 

Please understand you have every right to feel appalled, saddened, frightened, or extreme apathy. In the coming days, take some time to process your emotions, hold those you love closer, and sit with the impending sense of dread. However, when the sun rises again, we must stand up, dust off our shoulders, and fend off the voices of apathy and discouragement. To those in the throes of hopelessness: We feel you. Yet, remember that freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are always worth fighting for. If we care about our communities and American democracy, we must take on work for the next four years with courage and determination. Let our fire guide us through the darkness. Today, we can throw up our hands. Tomorrow, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. 

With fear, love, and radical hope, 

A Majority of The 144th Editorial Board of The Lawrence