Former president Donald Trump reeled in 295 electoral college votes to win the presidential election; Harris got 226 electoral votes.
It is the opinion of The Cardinal Times Editorial Board that the next four years under Trump will be dangerous for our country. Throughout his campaign, Trump expressed his harmful stances on social and economic issues such as abortion, climate, immigration, education and inflation.
Trump is the first president to be convicted of criminal charges. His 34 felony counts involve falsified business records. Additionally, he has been accused of sexual assault by at least 25 women.
Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives twice. The first was for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and the second was for incitement of insurrection. He has created a community of followers who worship him and who villainize all those who disagree with him. The insurrection he provoked on Jan. 6, 2021 proved him to be a threat to our democracy, as he incited his supporters to go to the Capitol and told them, “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore.” This insurrection attempt led to 15 officers being hospitalized.
Even Republican politicians such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Representative Liz Cheney, former Representative Adam Kinzinger and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales proclaimed Trump unfit for office and endorsed Harris.
“As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation — eyes a return to the White House,” wrote Gonzales in an op-ed in Politico. “For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.”
According to his platform, one of Trump’s priorities is making changes in classrooms across the country. He wants to enact policies creating new school disciplinary standards, supporting homeschooling and most importantly, completely eliminating the federal Department of Education and returning responsibility to individual states.
The United States Department of Education helps to ensure equal access to education by managing policy and funding for schools nationwide. In addition, it provides funding for individual students in postsecondary education, through Federal Student Aid which includes subsidized loans, Pell Grants and work-study jobs. Eliminating the Department of Education will mean that access to education could be different depending on what state you live in and will likely have negative consequences for all students, with the greatest impact felt by low-income students.
Ethnic Studies teacher Alex Stegner stresses the fact that students in PPS will not be impacted as heavily by Trump’s proposed policies.
“Here in Oregon I don’t think there will be an impact in the near future. [Those] in charge of policy around what we teach and how we teach it are the same as they were before the election, so I don’t foresee pressure about the curriculum [coming] at least any time in the next year or two,” said Stegner.
While students in Oregon may face little change in the short term, other states will use this as an opportunity to blur the line between church and state. For example, the Oklahoma state superintendent is starting to force teachers to teach the Bible in class, and threatening to revoke teachers’ licenses if they do not comply. Teaching the Bible in class goes against freedom of religion, which is protected by the First Amendment.
Trump’s platform also promises to end “left-wing propaganda” in the classroom and names Critical Race Theory (CRT) and “Gender Indoctrination” (Gender Studies) as examples.
Lincoln’s CRT teacher Mary Brunson is worried about the rhetoric Trump is spreading about these classes.
“My pessimism says the class isn’t fully protected in this upcoming climate. I think that it’s going to be under fire,” said Brunson. “Having a president that negatively portrays [CRT] will make people more hesitant about more inclusive and accurate history.”
Many students at Lincoln are concerned about various aspects of a Trump presidency, including how it will affect their decisions about college. Some students say they are scared to move to conservative states. Senior Logan Andrade said Trump’s election is affecting his decision about where to apply.
“After the election… I started applying to international schools… I’m like, ‘well, I guess I’m going to add some schools from New Zealand and Australia,’” said Andrade.
The threat to women’s reproductive healthcare is also alarming. Trump appointed half of the Supreme Court majority behind the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which in return paved the way for restrictive abortion laws in 41 states. In addition to making it harder for women across the country to access the reproductive healthcare they need, it has caused clinics in states where abortion is still legal, such as Oregon, to become overcrowded as they try to serve women from states where abortion has become illegal.
Project 2025, a document put out by Trump’s supporters during his campaign includes a plan to ban all contraceptives, including birth control pills, intrauterine devices and Plan B morning-after pills. These restrictive policies will trap women, completely revoking their bodily autonomy.
According to a study published by Tulane University there are higher rates of maternal mortality in states with more restrictive abortion bans, and at least four women have reportedly died in the United States because they did not have access to abortion.
According to the National Institute of Health, around 68,000 women worldwide die annually due to unsafe abortions. Trump and his supporters are actively putting the lives of women at risk.
The individuals Trump has nominated as part of his cabinet are also dangerous. He nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has openly voiced his objection to vaccine mandates and has expressed false statements about vaccines being a cause of autism. Kennedy is also facing sexual assault allegations from his kids’ former babysitter. Similarly, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for the Secretary of Defense, faces allegations of sexual misconduct (as well as bribery.)
Trump’s appointment for head of the FBI, Kash Patel, has threatened to shut down the FBI building in Washington D.C. “I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’” said Patel on the “Shawn Ryan Show.” The ‘deep state’ is a conspiracy theory, where government officials are working with society’s elites to exercise political power.
Trump also wants to appoint Linda McMahon to secretary of Education, despite her lack of experience aside from serving on the Connecticut State Board of Education for a little over one year and being a certified French teacher who has never taught. He also appointed former Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker as ambassador for NATO, despite him having no experience with foreign policy.
Usually cabinet nominations have to go through the Senate in order to be approved for their positions. Trump could appoint his nominees during a time that the Senate is in recess, through Article II, Section 2, clause iii of the Constitution.
Trump’s policies will negatively impact the entire nation. The next four years will test our country’s values and whether those in power will defend the rights and liberties of their constituents, or will allow Trump to follow through with his plans for the country.
