Former President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election sparked a spectrum of perspectives among the public. This dispatch features contributions from three reporters at The Lion’s Roar, detailing their thoughts on the election’s results and the state of the country moving forward. 

Lindsay Miller, News Editor 

The importance of this election was unprecedented, and for several reasons, the American people were let down. 

Women had the chance to take control of the patriarchy that has long loomed over us. Still, the system set in place since the beginning of our country remained steadfast towards its goal of keeping men in positions of power, even if they’re underqualified. 

President-elect Donald Trump achieved a long-time conservative goal of overturning Roe v. Wade and giving it back to the states to decide by appointing three conservative chief justices during his first term. 

Because of this ruling, women across 41 states no longer have complete bodily autonomy. Mothers who look forward to giving birth but experience a miscarriage are denied the care they need to survive. 

Not only are women affected by this decision, but so are children. Said children have already gone through some life-altering experiences and are faced with another life-altering choice already made for them in many states. 

Since the election, the legislative, judicial and executive branches have all achieved a Republican majority. 

While continually denying his affiliation with Project 2025 throughout his campaign, Trump continues to appoint its creators to crucial positions in his upcoming administration. If he implements Project 2025, women and girls may lose their rights nationwide.

According to the National Women’s Law Center, if Project 2025 comes into fruition, women would lose reproductive rights and penalize unmarried women, there would be attacks on protections against sex discrimination and other efforts to expand gender equity, gutting of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and other racial justice measures and efforts to reduce access to and investments in anti-poverty programs by prioritizing the interests of the wealthy over the needs of low-income families, who are disproportionately led by women.

Many of Trump’s cabinet picks have a disturbing past with sexual assault allegations. Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth and Elon Musk have all been accused of sexual assault. Gaetz, in particular, stepped down from his nomination to attorney general after Republicans blocked an investigative report about his alleged involvement with sex trafficking. 

Not only do the men Trump is appointing have a questionable history with sexual misconduct, but he himself is known for his long history of misogyny and allegations of sexual assault.  

Furthermore, these actions of certifying men with questionable morals to positions of power emphasize the lack of value in victims’ voices and make a point to young men that they, too, can get away with terrible things and not face repercussions. Instead, they’ll be rewarded with institutional power.

I can only hope the outcome of this election does not reverse the centuries of work women have put into achieving freedom. 

Jacob White, Copy Editor

After the results of the Nov. 5 election, I was left despondent, but not surprised about the results.

With several years of runaway inflation in the United States rampaging the country, to me, it was no surprise that the American people were desperate for a change in leadership. Despite inflation being a major issue globally between 2021-2022, the Biden-Harris administration has taken a lot of heat for increases in domestic prices.

Trump’s return to office will mark a historic moment as he will become the second U.S. president to win two nonconsecutive terms (and the first to do so with 34 felony counts and two impeachment charges). 

Recently, Trump made a “joke” that has unnerved me quite a bit. Though he tends to make inflammatory comments, this one unsettles me in a way that nothing he has said has ever done before. At a Nov. 3 rally, he joked about a would-be assassin needing to “shoot through the fake news” to hit him. He states that he “wouldn’t mind that so much,” which is an extremely hideous statement that is deeply concerning for someone who’s considering a career in journalism. His attitudes toward journalism have me deeply concerned about the future of freedom of speech in this country.

I am still shocked at his complete distrust of our electoral process back in 2020 when he claimed election fraud, despite the overwhelming lack of evidence as shown by his numerous lost court cases. His claims go beyond the 2020 election, with his claims of election fraud stemming back even to the 2016 election, the election he won. Yet in 2016 and 2024, despite his claims of elections being rigged against him, he was still the declared winner. Are elections only fair when you win? How can our democracy survive if every election creates unfounded, dangerous conspiracy theories?

His planned education policies (though vague) are disagreeable. According to his official website, under the Protect Parents’ Rights tab of his policies page, he lists one of his goals as creating “a credentialing body to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values.” Education should not be something that reinforces patriotism, but something that gives students the skills to think for themselves. Patriotism is not an inherently bad thing, though. 

In fact, I am proud to have been born in the United States and am grateful for the many opportunities this country has given me. I believe that this focus on patriotism would inevitably disrupt the free flow of knowledge in history classes. With patriotism in the classroom, would students learn a well-rounded history of the United States, or just see it in a golden light, ignoring its shadows? How can we expect ourselves to improve as a nation if we don’t know our full story?

If it isn’t obvious, I don’t agree with Trump on many issues. I don’t think his policies will set the United States in the right direction, and I believe they will do more harm to the middle and lower classes than any good. His continual disregard for our democratic institutions worries me. I just hope that I’m wrong.

Christian Bankovic, Staff Reporter

As someone who is soon turning 20, this past presidential election was the first one I had ever taken part in, and I was very excited to have a say in where my country goes with its policies. As I watched the votes get counted, though, it felt like the world … almost broke in two. People were at each other’s throats, arguing and tearing each other down. Many others were terrified of the potential policies the new president might end up putting in place.

I could care less about the way my friends voted. Rather, my stomach was torn up by the discovery that several of those friends were fighting over the election results. I can understand where they were coming from; depending on your situation, the new president’s values might threaten your way of living. That sort of change can be terrifying.

But, while we might be terrified of what the future holds, we should not let this fear be the wedge that drives each other apart. We might not see eye-to-eye with our friends and family, but we must find a way to compromise, lest we risk tearing each other apart. Are we not all Americans? Do we not all live on the same soil?

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional,” Martin Luther King, Jr. preached in his Christmas sermon in 1967. “Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation.”

Despite who your friends, your parents and your siblings voted for, we must treat each other with respect. If we are divided among each other in the name of red and blue, how will we ever live in peace? We cannot coexist if we are constantly furious with each other.

Please consider these words. Understand that, despite the flaws in both presidential candidates, we must stand united in these states of America. Fight for what you believe in, but do not sacrifice your fellow brothers and sisters in exchange for it. Please, remember to be kind — even if that is all you remember to be.