The 2016 election was quite possibly one of the most polarizing elections of our time. Filled with hate rhetoric, personal attacks, and certainly not as political as elections normally are. The truth is, neither of the candidates were ideal. On one side, you had Hillary Clinton, who was the epitome of the Democratic establishment, a person who has served as First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State. On the other hand, you had Donald Trump, a business man, reality TV star, and someone who has never been involved in politics in his life.

As the campaign season raged on, America became the most divided it has become in decades. Hillary called most of Trump supporters, “a basket of deplorables,” while many of Trump supporters called for Hillary to be locked up. However, as November rolled along it was Donald Trump who won the Electoral College vote. This was a shock to the nation as Hillary won almost every poll out there. However, there are a couple reasons I think Donald Trump won the election.

1. Trump offered a new idea of change. Much like Obama preached change in 2008, Trump had a very similar campaign in that he advocated for a new America (I think this is the only time you can say Trump and Obama are similar). Americans are attracted to change, the idea of a new America resonated with voters and I believe they saw past the flaws in his character.
2. Hillary never explicitly stated WHY she wanted to run for president. She almost made it seem like she felt obligated to run for president just because she was a woman. Her message never really resonated with the American people.
3. Social media and fake news had an enormous effect on the election. Facebook and other social networks like it became a clearinghouse for fake news. Not simple partisan spin, but outright lies peddled as objective truth by shady actors both inside the US and abroad.

And simply, I believe Trump supporters were more excited about Trump than Hillary supporters were about Hillary.

Donald Trump will officially become the 45^th president on January 20^th. I disagree and agree with President-elect Trump on many issues, as stated below.

Issues I agree with President Trump

Weak trade deals– I believe trade deals such as NAFTA and TPP send many jobs overseas for way cheaper than here in America. In my opinion, this is hurting our economy immensely and adds to the idea of corporate greed. Large companies are feasting on cheap work labor, and we are losing jobs across America as a result.

Social Security– Many Republicans hold the idea that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid costs should be cut significantly. However, Trump is no typical Republican. He believes that these things should not be cut, and promised to protect them many times over the course of his campaign. I believe the government needs to protect the vulnerable, which includes elder and sick people and I do not think it is possible for disabled vets to try to survive on $12,000 a year in Social Security payments. I hope President Trump keeps his promise.

Campaign Finance– Trump has many times proclaimed his dissatisfaction with the campaign system. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Citizens United, which allowed for the wealthiest people in the country to spend unlimited sums of money on the campaign trail. Trump self-financed much of his campaign, while Hillary Clinton was funded by Super PACs, and I respect that.

Issues I disagree with President Trump

The Decline of a Middle Class– The wealthiest people and large corporations in this country have never had it so good. While most Americans are hurting financially and deeply frightened about the future, the very rich get richer, as most new income goes toward the top 1%. In 1979, the top 0.1% owned about 7 percent of the wealth in this country. Today it owns 22 percent. Obama has proposed a Wall Street Reform bill which would hopefully break down corporate greed, but it did not get passed through Congress. I’m afraid that Trump is the epitome of this idea of greedy wealth, and his failure to release his taxes only leads me to believe he has something to hide, and that he has cheated the system. Money dominates congress: Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry, the coal and oil companies, agribusiness, and the rest of corporate America spend billions every year on campaign contributions. The results: The desires of the rich and powerful are well attended to. The pain of working families is ignored.

Climate Change– I am a huge advocate of preventing climate change. You can ask virtually any scientist about the reality of our Earth, and how quickly our ecosystem is changing. Trump has denied climate change, calling it a “Chinese hoax.” Climate change is no hoax, it is our life. Large coal companies emit large amounts of carbon, making millions of dollars in the process. If we don’t act soon and put a tax on carbon, implementing energy efficiency efforts, move away from fossil fuels and into renewable energy such as wind, solar, or geothermal, many generations will feel the effects of our failure to act.

Health Care– I believe healthcare should be a right to any American citizen. Currently the United States is the only major country to not guarantee healthcare. Obamacare provided 30 million people with healthcare, an unprecedented number. But there are still 28 million people who cannot afford it. This is absolutely appalling to me. How is it fair that the wealthiest country in the history of the world, cannot take care of its people? Could you imagine having the flu but not being able to get treatment because of money? Not only this, the GOP has taken steps to repeal Obamacare with no replacement plan. How does this make sense? That’s like pushing someone off a cliff and telling them to figure it out before they get to the bottom. Healthcare needs to be affordable to any American. Critics often ask how to pay for such a large order. And here’s how: a 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households, progressive income tax rates, taxing capital gains and dividends the same as income from work, limiting tax deductions for the rich, adjusting the estate tax, and savings from health tax expenditures. Once again if Obamacare is repealed, the wealthiest 400 families would receive a tax cut worth an average of 7 million dollars EACH. On top of this, 58% of Americans support a national healthcare system. This isn’t a radical idea.

War and Peace– I believe that the test of a great and powerful nation is not how many wars it can engage in, but how it can resolve international conflicts in a peaceful manner. From the Middle East, to Ukraine, to North Korea, to the South China Sea, to civil war in the world’s newest nation – South Sudan, we face a multitude of serious foreign policy challenges. I believe that foreign policy is not just deciding how to react to conflict around the world, but also includes redefining America’s role in the increasingly global economy. Along with our allies throughout the world, we should be vigorous in attempting to prevent international conflict, not just responding to problems. We live in a dangerous world full of serious threats, perhaps none more so than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. But we cannot combat international terrorism alone. We must work with our allies to root out terrorist funding networks, provide logistical support in the region, disrupt online radicalization, provide humanitarian relief, and support and defend religious freedom. Moreover, we must begin to address the root causes of radicalization, instead of focusing solely on military responses to those who have already become radicalized. And while there is no question our military must be fully prepared and have the resources it needs to fight international terrorism, it is imperative that we take a hard look at the Pentagon’s budget and the priorities it has established. The U.S. military must be equipped to fight today’s battles. Our defense budget must represent our national security interests and the needs of our military, not the reelection of members of Congress or the profits of defense contractors. President Trump would disagree on these reasons, claiming to only way to defeat ISIS is “to beat the hell out of em.”

Immigration– Trump has proposed a wall along our Southern border. We cannot and should not sweep up millions of men, women, and children – many of whom have lived here for many years, contribute to our society, and are integrated into the fabric of American life – and throw them out of the country unjustly. It is categorically unacceptable that so many voices insisted that the large numbers of desperate, vulnerable, and unaccompanied children primarily from Central America who crossed our borders last year should be turned away and sent back to the countries they fled. Sadly, many of these same voices now advocate for the United States to turn our backs on desperate refugees fleeing violence and terrorism in Syria. Now is not the time for us to succumb to racism and bigotry. We cannot allow ourselves to be divided by the anti-immigrant and xenophobic hysteria that Republican presidential candidates ginned up. America has always been a haven for the oppressed. We cannot and must not shirk the historic role of the United States as a protector of vulnerable people fleeing persecution.

Those are some of the logistical reasons I am not a huge fan of a Trump presidency. But on a more human level, he just does not come across as “presidential.” When other countries think of America, they automatically think of the president. He is very active on Twitter, many times attacking people who oppose him. The role of a president is not to criticize those who oppose him, it is to bridge the gap of all Americans. He can control the markets through a Tweet, and he certainly needs to calm down. Trump needs to recognize how important it is to unify our nation. The things he has said about women and how they should be treated appalls me. He openly admits to using his power as a rich man, to treat women however he likes and that is not right.  He hasn’t shown a record of defending the rights of African Americans, Latinos, the LGBT community, and frankly any minority. I hope this changes, and he can be the president that unites us all.

I wish the best for President Trump. Frankly, I’m not sure Hillary Clinton was too much better. America was dealt a bad hand, but I hope the next 4 years are some of the most prosperous. These are important years for us high school students, as they will determine the type of economy we will enter when we join the workforce. I hope Donald Trump proves me wrong, and becomes exactly what America needs, and that his presidency will certainly prove to be unpresidented.

**Note from the editors: This column shares only the opinion of the writer, and does not reflect the views of the newspaper.**