Pride in the President-Elect

Eitan Szteinbaum ‘19

For the better part of the last two years, just saying the name “Donald Trump” in a positive light caused one to immediately be shunned as a political outcast by liberal-leaning students at Golda Och Academy.

Before the election, it was popular to proclaim that the billionaire had no chance of winning. People were even willing to bet money that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, would be our next president.

This was reflected in the overconfident media, featuring pundits who stated so firmly that Clinton would win in a landslide. One could actually believe that Trump would not win a single state  or receive even a single vote.

In the days leading up to the election, the atmosphere was intense. People barely even talked to those who didn’t share their views. I was just told that I would be proven wrong soon enough.

As a conservative living on the east coast, I could not escape having to defend my views to practically everyone around me. Even if I accomplished fending off these attacks, the feeling of sheer dismissal from those accusing me of being a racist, sexist, xenophobe was painful.

       Smug is the perfect word to describe it. What I had to endure is why no modesty will be shown in this article and no gloating spared. After almost a year of being told that my views were wrong and that my candidate had no chance, the American people have vindicated me.

The feeling of entering the hallways on the morning of November 9 victorious wiped away the last of my despair I had felt before the election and lifted my spirits to new heights. No longer would I have to accept people calling me racist, sexist or xenophobic. No longer could people dismiss my views as fringe or absurd.  

It is time for everyone to accept the election’s results and look forward to changing the country for the better.  

I am truly excited about the changes Trump promised he will bring to this country. We will finally, after eight long years, have a president who knows how to rebuild the economy. The middle class will experience success like never before and there will be enough money in the pockets of all Americans to feed their children.

Our country will finally have a commander-in-chief who knows how to keep America safe. Trump will rebuild our army, defeat ISIS and protect Americans from acts of terror.

Perhaps most importantly, we will have a president who will defend the Constitution and the rights of all the citizens of the country.

This election has taught me to believe in myself. I have received a message loud and clear from the American people: I should not doubt myself and I should continue to fight for what I believe is right, even when it is unpopular among my peers.

But beyond me, this election has taught America never to give up.

For the people who supported Clinton, I know this must be a painful time and I sympathize with them, but I believe that this is the better outcome for them, too. If the country succeeds they will benefit like everyone else. Trump’s election was best for the country.

It is time for the country to unite behind its president-elect and work together to “Make America Great Again.”