Donald Trump being elected president has left many of us filled with fear, hate, and confusion for the future of our country. In one of his acceptance speeches, Trump used repetition and positive ethos to reach out to his people and tell them what winning means to him. He began his speech by thanking Hillary for her hard work and services. By acknowledging her accomplishments (the same ones that his campaign bashed and mocked for the past few months) he was building himself up. He tried to make himself seem like a person who can see the best in everyone, even in his most hated and biggest opponent. The reality is that he was only able to bring himself to say positive things about Hillary when she was no longer a threat. When asked to acknowledge good qualities in Hillary in the presidential debates, he was never able to bring himself to mention her successes. Complimenting Hillary is also a way to begin to mend the divide between Hillary and Trump supporters, one of the biggest divides in presidential election history. Trump is trying to reel in the people that find him repulsive by seeming slightly less slimy and awful through compliments.
Throughout his speech, Trump used the repetition of "Us" and "We" to unite with him us as people.A line that stood out during all of his attempts at unification was he he said, "It's about us." When Trump says "Us" and I picture the people he is trying to reach with that line, I cannot picture anyone besides white men. Maybe he is reaching for the white males that were supporting Hillary, but I cannot see him talking to any minorities or oppressed people. In order for our country to move forwards, we need a president who thinks of those people first, not vaguely mentions them reach a wider white male audience.
As much as the the sentiment and meaning behind the simple phrase "It's about us" loses meaning coming out of the mouth of a juvenile, racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic sex offender, we cannot let it. Things look and feel hopeless for America right now. But as a country and as people under this horrid man, we have to continue to fight oppression. We cannot let ourselves be swallowed up by his fear tactics and hateful ideologies. In the darkest times it is important we find love and acceptance despite what is being shouted into our ears and shoved into our minds by someone with no respect for others. It's about about all of the people that have been attacked during Trumps campaign and those whose futures are the most unclear: black people, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, blue collar workers, etc. to find strength in ourselves and in each other. We cannot forget who we are. It's about us.
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