I despise Donald Trump. I think he’s a lying, racist, fear mongering, transphobic, sexual abusing, convicted felon, incompetent, and dangerous person who is driven by hate and resentment.

Yes, I think Trump is a bad person, but he’s not what I’m most riled up about. What bothers me more is that half of Americans think this guy is the guy.

We know what a Trump presidency looks like, and it’s ugly and it’s miserable. Who among us had a good time from 2017-2020? Who thought that was fun and we should do it again? In 2020 we decided it was enough and we elected someone else in a historic victory. But apparently we have a short memory because people are excited to go and do that again.

I’ll say it right here with confidence: the next 4 years are going to suck.

The interesting, and terrifying, question I have today is whether Trump will run again. He’ll be 82 years old at the end of his term, the oldest president in history, but I don’t see any reality in which his supporters are deterred by that. I’ve never seen a politician with such a religious-style following. The 22nd Amendment plainly states…

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice

…but we’ll see. There’s always a loophole with slimy crooks like Trump.

As I go into today, I am sad and I am scared for what this transition of power means for people who are less fortunate than me and will be impacted more directly by some of the wretched things this party wants to do. I’m worried about judicial appointments, which conceivably could give conservatives a multi-decade 7-2 or 8-1 majority in the Supreme Court, assuring that conservative ideals win out no matter who is elected. But more than ever, I question what sort of nation this is. It’s a sobering reminder that Trump hasn’t won in spite of his racism or his power grabs or his hatred for anyone who disagrees with him, he won because millions of people like those things about him. I don’t feel like I belong here anymore, and I’m a straight white guy, so I can’t imagine what this must feel like if you’re in the crosshairs of this new administration who wants to make your life hell.

BUT…

This isn’t a post about me leaving for Canada (I’d actually prefer to move to the UK if I ever did leave the US), this is a post about staying and fighting for what I believe in. I believe in love for more people. I believe in freedom for more people to live the lives they want. I believe in good people coming out on top. I still think we can do these things as a nation, but the fight for them just got a lot harder. That doesn’t mean you give up, you hunker down and get to work.

Quick aside here to say that Donald Trump is so remarkably old and I’m so annoyed that only old people seem to get the presidency these days. Barack Obama is 63 years old today. He was 47 when he took office. That’s 31 years younger than Trump as he enters this term. I thought Republicans didn’t like old, diminishing leaders?