Never in a million years would many people have thought it to be true, but Donald Trump has become the president-elect of the United States.

I’m waiting for the world to end.

In one of the closest elections since 2000, Trump defeated Democratic Party contender Hillary Clinton in one of the most unconventional elections the public has ever seen. The two were neck-and-neck in multiple polls, but it was looking very gloomy for the Trump camp in terms of garnering electoral votes. Still, he prevailed.

But, this shouldn’t necessarily be called this a victory. Not even in the slightest.

A Trump presidency represents an administration that believes in discrimination, hypocrisy and childish antics, where playing the blame-game and calling women by derogatory names is the norm.

Let’s be real: This election cycle was the furthest thing from ideal. Both Clinton and Trump have made a mockery of the electoral process. From their vicious public debates to their attack advertisements to the rhetoric used to describe one another on the campaign trail, this election season was the definition of a political bloodbath.

It’s safe to predict this presidency will be filled with more of what the campaign was: scandal, gaffes and emptiness. Trump will cause us to become a laughingstock to our global adversaries and is bound to piss off a world leader or two, in addition to many of the American people.

What we should also fear are the various executive orders he may put into effect. If his proposal to build a wall does not pass through Congress, he may try to take matters into his own hands and use — more like abuse — his executive powers to fulfill his ideal foreign policy initiative. Therefore, Trump will set a dangerous precedent for future presidencies to come by expanding the power of the executive. This also goes against the core of Republican principles by overreaching federal power.

There were a number of other candidate options that would not have betrayed the party’s true values like a Trump presidency will, yet this is what the country is stuck with for the next four years.

In the 12th grade, I registered as a Republican to vote in future elections. I was so excited, so hopeful, looking forward to casting my vote one day to help elect honorable people into public office. In the first presidential election I am eligible for, I have lost many of those feelings of hope. The saddest thing is that I know I’m not alone in this.

Vanessa Salman is a senior political science major and history minor. She can be reached at vksalman@g.syr.edu and on Twitter @VanessaSalman.

Published on November 9, 2016 at 4:12 am