Once Again, America Has Shown Us Exactly Who It Is

Donald Trump defeating Kamala Harris in the presidential race should come as no surprise to those who truly know this country.

This is some bullshit — but not surprising in the least.

America shows us time and time again who and what it is. Sometimes it subtly whispers what it thinks of people like me (and probably you). But the 290-plus electoral votes and more than 70,000,000 popular votes that have secured Republican Donald Trump’s presidential victory over his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, are loud and clear.

Trump’s win — the first time he’s ever won the popular vote, mind you — is a “fuck you, we don’t care about your rights as people of color, women, immigrants, the working class, etc.” It’s a reminder that sometimes, even when you’re twice as good, you get a fraction as much. It’s a message about whose livelihoods matter and whose don’t. It’s not just a look into what we’re anticipating for the next four years, but a reminder of the haunting past this country refuses to confront.

We’re going back. And we didn’t need a too-on-point campaign slogan from Harris to know that.

For over a decade, we’ve seen the protections and rights our ancestors fought for get struck down in both de facto and de jure ways — some due to Trump’s actions, others due to the same symptoms of systemic injustice and hate that led to him getting elected president in 2016 and now 2024.