Trigger warning: sexual violence and abuse

Election Day came and went, but it left a trail of destruction in its path and in its future.

A lot of people are hurt. I can’t speak to the countless minorities that are in pain right now — that’s simply not my place — but I can speak as a woman. So here it goes.

It’s hard to have a solid singular feeling about what happened. Vice President Kamala Harris had a “vibes” filled campaign, with little talk on policies. No one really knew where she stood on things besides abortion and gun control.

The thing is, even though she didn’t say it, it was there. If voters had done the research, they would’ve seen it on her website.

We’ve heard “she had no policies.” She did. Maybe she didn’t make it clear enough, that’s on her and her team, but to say she didn’t at all would be ignorant.

I’ve been trying to make sense of it all. There were flaws in the campaign, we know that. But her flaws and President-Elect Donald Trump’s flaws are completely different.

Somehow, “rape allegations and felonies” do not outweigh “lack of communication skills.”

The top issue in this election was the economy. That was the biggest betrayal to everyone, because it shouldn’t have been. It was because it was misleading.

The truth is, I don’t know who to blame. Whether it be Harris’ team itself or just the lack of education voters seem to have.

Frankly, the president doesn’t have that much control over the economy in the first place. This is where I would blame the American education system and not the candidate. I may even blame the voters for not fact-checking or doing their research.

The president can have influence, but not control. Whatever they do is indirect.

It’s a constant cycle. We’ve seen it before. Former President Barack Obama left a good economy for Trump, and Trump got the credit. Trump left when the economy entered a dark time and voters blamed President Joe Biden.

If you voted because “Trump can save the economy,” I’ve got some bad news for you: the economy you loved so much was that of the Democrats.

Politics is personal, but it shouldn’t be. There was a genuine fear of families not being able to provide for their kids and that young adults like me wouldn’t be able to buy a home in a few years.

I beg you to educate yourself before you vote next time, because at least half of America doesn’t understand what they’ve just done.

If Harris had won, young girls would have been looking up at their first female president. Now, boys are looking up to a man who has quite the reputation.

One who doesn’t care about women and has boasted about going into pageant dressing rooms, where 15-year-old girls were naked. But it was OK, because he owned the pageant.

It’s not a secret. He doesn’t hide it. Trump has bragged about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, and he’s had countless infamous remarks like “grab ’em by the pussy,” “I did try and fuck her, she was married” and “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

Don’t believe these pieces of ‘liberal media?’ Look it up and hear it for yourself.

This is the man who was just elected into office. You voted for the economy, but look at who you put in the seat that is responsible for every woman in this country.

He may be an alleged rapist. But he is not an alleged sexual abuser. As of 2023, 26 women claimed he had either raped, groped or assaulted them in some way.

“Trump was found, by a jury, liable for battery, a civil tort, based on the preponderance of evidence provided by E. Jean Carroll that he sexually abused her but not that he raped her,” per a Newsweek fact check.

Why didn’t they find that he raped her? Because of the lack of evidence. If there was enough to suffice a ruling that he sexually abused her, do you really think he stopped there?

Harris was not the best candidate, but she had character. That’s the kind of president we traded in — a woman abuser, instead of a woman with character. For the sake of an economy he won’t even have much control over.

The whole idea though, that women’s rights weren’t even a close second to the economy, sickens me. I’ve learned now my body has a price tag and instead of keeping women safe, voters opted for a cheaper tank of gas and lower-priced groceries.

It’s not enough if you don’t worry about abortion laws because your state is considered safe. I don’t know about you, but my care for women doesn’t end at the Connecticut border.

I think of Amber Nicole Thurman, in Georgia, who died recently because she couldn’t access proper healthcare. It took 20 hours of her being in pain in a hospital bed dying, until doctors could operate. By the time they did, it was too late.

It’s like a butterfly effect. Trump used his power, and as a result, he is one of the powerful figures who are responsible for her death, and the other deaths of women who died in similar ways during pregnancy.

Since the AP announced the next president, young men specifically have been running wild on social media.

Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist, misogynist and antisemitic media personality, has led MAGA’s disgusting attacks towards women since Nov. 6. The fraction of faith that I had left in my own generation faltered when I woke up the other morning to TikToks of men claiming “your body, my choice,” quoting Fuentes, and attacking women who said they weren’t going to have sex with men, promoting the 4B Movement — a feminist movement that originated in South Korea. It involves women from abstaining from sex, dating and marriage.

With women so afraid for their rights this election, men, specifically young boys, have found this hilarious. His supporters, with large fanbases, have promoted the concept that women are now back to being men’s property.

In a world of Andrew Tates, I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore. Fuentes has gained a following and boys are listening. But how can we tell them not to listen when Americans just elected a man that embodies this into office?

If you voted for Trump, please look at your company, which includes Fuentes. Congratulations on having the same political opinions as a white supremacist.

I hope you know what you’ve done.

Young girls wake up to comments with statements like, “take it like a good girl,” “hahaha now zip it and make me a sandwich,” and “Well, at least I can buy groceries now. Who gives a f about your rights.”

You’ve taught men that, no, assault allegations don’t actually ruin a man’s life. But instead, they are eligible for one of the most powerful positions in the world. So the next time you tell a girl who has just been assaulted, “well, you don’t want to ruin his life with this allegation.” Don’t waste your breath.

There’s so much blood on his hands.

I’ve talked about women and abortion. But what about the law enforcement and his own supporters who died on Jan. 6?

What about the children who have died from AR-15s in their own classrooms?

George Floyd, who died under the knee of a police officer was hailed a criminal. It’s interesting how that “criminal” was murdered, and “didn’t deserve the justice system,” but the tune changed when a felon was running for president.

If I continued to list people hurt by Trump, either directly or indirectly, my hands would never stop moving.

America has forgotten about them. Or worse, chose to forget and ignore them.

This is so much more than just the economy, immigration and abortion. It’s about the precedent almost 75 million people set on Nov. 5.

So don’t tell me that we’re being dramatic. That the tears were too much. I mean, no one has incited an insurrection yet, have they?

Trump’s control over the government just became more than you should be comfortable with. Checks and balances exist for a reason, but we’re on the brink of it being thrown out the window. Though breaking windows, tear gas and blood on the floor isn’t new in the capitol anymore, is it?

I beg you to reflect on this. Think about those who have died under his presidency and precedent.

You may not learn this lesson until it’s too late, but stay educated and vigilant. The people just lost control of the government, no one should be celebrating.