TO THE EDITOR:
Last week, to the surprise of most, Donald J. Trump became the President-elect of the United States. Many Americans are thrilled, while others are already calling it a national tragedy. The latter are quick to express disdain for the American people, presuming that our society must be inherently idiotic, xenophobic, etc. if this man was elected to be president.
The fact is, this election was never about policies. Rarely did we spend much time on the standard-platform issues of years past. The driving force of this election was not the difference between Left and Right, but rather the disparity between the American people and the political machine. The outcome has been a testament to the overarching feeling of frustration toward the American governing system.
Evidently, the people feel that, flawed as Trump is, he is a necessary disruptor and his cataclysmic presence in Washington is preferable to Hillary's long-standing complacency.
One thing is for certain: the media, the pundits, the data analysts and the political elite were wrong. They painted Trump as a maverick, a deviant, a living antithesis of American "values." They made us believe that his victory was nearly impossible. But despite their best efforts to quash the anti-establishment movement staged by Trump (and Bernie Sanders, for that matter), the voice of the people prevailed.
Donald Trump literally defied all odds to become the President of the United States. His campaign will go down as a PR masterpiece. He did not stumble into the White House. He had a clear message to the people and he delivered it unwaveringly. Quite frankly, he earned it. Donald Trump now faces an incredible responsibility as Commander-in-Chief, and many expect him to fail.
But if there's one thing we've learned thus far, it's that Donald Trump is not governed by expectation.
In a world that seems inescapably corrupt, I take comfort in knowing that We The People still reign.
Isaac Italiaander
taliaij@miamioh.edu