What If Hillary Won?
Illustration by Andrew Khanian
Who would have ever thought a reality show star, with no prior experience in politics, would become the president of the United States? Certainly not I. About four months ago, the unthinkable happened: Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. Many Americans thought he didn’t stand a chance, let alone against Hilary Clinton, but we were ultimately proven wrong.
We now live in a world where America, a country that has progressed in many ways throughout its history, is being ruled by a man who 16 women claim sexually assaulted them, according to The Huffington Post. The current president of the United States has made countless racist remarks prior to his presidency and has dabbled in thought punishing women who have abortions. Most, if not all of what Trump stands for goes against all the progression America has made over the past centuries.
Former president Barack Obama pushed boundaries for our country that presidents before him have not, such as legalizing same-sex marriage on a national level under his administration. Being the first black president, of course, Obama made history, which really shows how far America has come as a country. His presidency also proved how prevalent racism still is in our country, with the many deaths of young black men done by the hands of law enforcement officers. Donald Trump questioned whether Obama was even born in America, to which he was quickly proven wrong, according to CNN.
The Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, is just about everything Donald Trump is not. Clinton has a law degree, is a former senator, a former first lady and cares about the greater good for the American people. The Clinton Foundation started by Hillary and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is a good example of her philanthropic endeavors. According to the Clinton Foundation website, the organization works to combat childhood obesity, provide more opportunities for women and girls and improving global health.
If Hilary Clinton had won the 2016 presidential election, America would be a much different country today. Law abiding undocumented citizens would not live every day in fear, because ICE would not be holding checkpoints to inspect drivers’ documentation paperwork. The future of Planned Parenthood and the organization's funding would not be up to a misogynistic man. The list of everything that would be different in this country under Clinton instead of Trump is truly endless.
Under a Clinton administration, Syrian refugees would have been welcomed into America to escape a treacherous life where the risk of being killed is high. Trump, on the other hand, ordered a 90-day travel ban on foreign nationals from 6 Muslim-majority countries. Clinton sought to only deport immigrants, “who pose a violent threat to public safety”, not mothers or fathers, or children, according to the Business Insider. She would have continued taking America down the path in search of equality, opportunity, and freedom for all.
So, what is an American or any human being to do during the next four years of a Donald Trump presidency?
I wish I could say the galvanizing of the Left is the silver lining of Trump's presidency, but there’s nothing silver in the lining. The American public has made their distaste of living under Trump's administration known by demonstrating across the country, including staging a never-before- seen Women’s March of 750,000 people in Los Angeles alone. That event would not have occurred if Hillary Clinton were president. Yet, calling any of those events a ‘silver lining’ would be trivializing and reducing the intensely negative impact Trump has made.
What is being fought for comes down to one thing: basic human rights. Yes, even before Trump’s presidency America as a whole had many issues that needed to be addressed. Under a Clinton administration, these issues would be at the surface and fought for as well. However, Trump lit the fire under America’s ass. It is now or never. Trumps presidency led America into a state of forced urgency. It’s either, we deal with these issues now as a country, or have those rights taken away. Now more than ever is a time to be a well-informed citizen and fight for the issues you care about. We are stronger together and this is a time where much of America seems divided, but it is also a time where we as Americans must unite as one.