We are America, and we should be the ones defining it
While an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump is the result of all his wrongdoings as president, the effects of his presidency have already been made. While the American people clarifying what they want in a democracy is crucial during the 2020 presidential election, going out to vote is, too.
The presidency of Donald J. Trump has, in more detrimental ways than the rest, impacted American politics and the overall landscape of American democracy.
Over the three years he has been the “occupant of the White House,” as U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley likes to call him, Trump and his administration have caused serious divide amongst political parties and in turn, the American people. Opinions on foreign policy and immigration have invoked disagreements, resulting in violent protesting.
These threats reflect the realities of living in a Trump era. A study published last October in the Journal of American College Health found that one out of four college students match “clinically significant” symptoms related to the election.
“The high level of event-related distress is concerning because elevated symptoms of event-related stress are predictive of future distress and subsequent PTSD diagnoses,” the study stated.
The initial shock of Trump’s 2016 win wreaked havoc on the streets and in the media, but the most surprising turn of events was witnessing a rise in the white nationalist movement.
The Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to fighting hate, tracks the number of yearly murders perpetrated by extremists, and in 2018 they found every single extremist killing was associated with right-wing terrorism, according to their Center on Extremism.
While most citizens share in the belief of the “American dream,” those beliefs are being tested and tried when we see the hate and extremism that has stemmed since the 2016 election. We are supposed to be a nation that believes in the prosperity and freedom for all, but we can’t continue to push that ideology if the messages and hatred spewed by the Trump administration are slowly chipping away at our optimism.
March 3, 2020 will mark the presidential primary election, and while that’s almost four months away, the importance of a well-informed vote makes all the difference.
To register to vote, visit registertovote.ca.gov/RegisterToVote. Physical registration forms are also available at public libraries, city and county offices, California Department of Motor Vehicles offices and at U.S. Post Offices.