‘Some of us are very afraid of the outcome of this election’. These were the words of an elderly man who approached me after I featured alongside other international journalists at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass- Communication’s Must see Monday.
I probed on to inquire what he meant, while I was thinking at the back of mind that the election looked like it was a done deal owing to the more than 50% of projections giving it to Hillary Clinton, touting her as the first female president of the most powerful country in the world!
Th election day itself seemed so normal with the people trooping into polling stations at their earliest convenient time. Yes, it all looked ‘easy-peazy’ until the results started pouring in.
And barely 24hours after the election, those words came back to me as thousands of protesters stormed different cities in the country, protesting the outcome of the election which gave it to Donald Trump.
Though, we have heard, seen and have been taught that the strength of Democracy lies in numbers, the age long tradition of the electoral college system of the United states plays a huge role in its own unique kind of Democracy when it comes to elections.
For the very first time in several decades, Thousands trooped to major streets for four consecutive days chanting ‘Not my president’, Love Trumps Hate, No KKK, No racist in USA amongst others. Looks like the election has left America more divided than as diverse as it was before going to the polls.
Either way you look at it, history has been made. Donald J Trump is the oldest person ever to be elected US President, the only one who never presented a tax certificate before election, TV Star/ Businessman who became President, amongst many other firsts (you can let your imaginations run wild on that)
Just when people began to notice his calmness and posture after elections, the President elect went on to twitter to castigate those protesting, a tool he used 24-7 before elections.
Hopefully, the beats of protests will fade away, just like the refrain of songs when reality sets in as President elect, Donald Trump and his first lady Melania, prepare to assume office and fulfill his promise of making America great again come January 20,2017
