10 Serious Concerns About Donald Trump's Victory and Presidency

Trump has exhibited behaviors during the election campaign and prior that can cause significant concern among many American and non-American citizens. His statements and positions, along with those of his associates and supporters, have instilled fear and anxiety in many of his critics and opponents. These concerns may not be actionable and Trump may change his views as he has done before, but this state of suspension is still at odds with assurance. What consequences will his victory have for individuals and groups he has targeted? Democracy at Risk Trump and many of his supporters deeply believe in conspiracy theories and resort to them whenever things do not go their way. His claims of election fraud, both in the primaries and the final election, were based not on reality but on delusion. Trump believes that the key to a country's success lies not in the power of the people, civil institutions, democratic entities, and independent media, but in the power of the dominant elites (see his praises of Putin). If social and political processes and institutions are not decisive (which in Trump's view they are not), it is these powerful figures (political officials, capitalists, media owners and managers, corporate executives) who guide events. Many authoritarian leaders come to power through public will and elections, but it is difficult to remove them through public will and elections. Unpredictability Trump has shown during the campaigns that he is unpredictable. He easily changes and contradicts his own opinions and retracts his previous statements. This characteristic immediately jeopardized financial and monetary markets in various countries right after his election. Trump's unpredictability, while sometimes directed at confronting U.S. enemies like ISIS, has also involved violations of political traditions and international treaties that the United States is a signatory to. His statements regarding relations with Russia, denial of the hacking of the Democratic Party's information by Russia (which U.S. security agencies have confirmed), and denial of Putin's crimes against journalists were surprising and unpredictable for American citizens, just as his sexual assaults, mockery of the disabled, and banning non-American Muslims from entering the country were. Abandoning Allies Trump has repeatedly warned America's allies during the election campaigns about being left alone and abandoned. In an interview with The New York Times, he conditioned the United States' commitment to NATO on members paying their dues (many of whom have not paid in full), while Eastern European countries live under the shadow of the Russian threat. Europeans today have the right to be concerned about their security conditions. A major concern for families is how to tell their children to avoid bullying and its futility while someone who bullies can become president. Additionally, women in the United States cannot have an ally in the White House to combat sexual assaults. When the president openly states that he has assaulted women and faced no consequences, this can encourage sexual assault in public and workplace environments. The claim that all of Trump's supporters or even half of them are racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic is baseless and absurd, but white supremacists and far-right extremists (alt-right) were among Trump's supporters, and Trump has never fundamentally rejected or denied them. This raises concerns for minorities, especially African Americans, who cannot rely on the White House to combat racist tendencies over the next four years. Suppression of Opponents and Critics Trump's constant slogan and that of his supporters has been 'Lock her up' regarding Hillary Clinton. Hillary is not just an individual but a symbol of a political movement and a coalition. Many hope that he is not serious about this statement as he is with others and will change his mind, but authoritarian leaders have always acted contrary to this hope. In the political tradition of the United States over the past two and a half centuries, officials have not imprisoned their rivals. He has also threatened women who have accused him of sexual assault with legal action. This is also unprecedented in U.S. political history. This characteristic has raised concerns among political activists. Limiting Freedom of Expression and Media Trump is a serious enemy of free media in the United States. He has repeatedly stated that the licenses of certain media should be revoked (like in dictatorial countries) and access to the internet should be limited, and has expelled journalists who asked him critical questions from press conferences. He has treated interviewers who had a critical approach toward him disrespectfully (like Megyn Kelly at Fox News). He has also blacklisted certain media (like The Washington Post) from his interviews and at one point barred them from press conferences simply because this newspaper had a critical approach toward him. He holds the media responsible for many events in the country, while the media are messengers and gave him, like Hillary Clinton, ample time to present his ideas. He has called journalists and media liars and fools. He also did not react to the threats and intimidation of journalists by his supporters at campaign rallies. He has threatened to sue and file cases against the media if he wins. News media managers and editors have the right to be concerned about freedom of expression and media in this country after November 9, 2016. Social Crisis If Trump fulfills his campaign promises, he must deport millions of undocumented immigrants who have children and parents in America. Without a social crisis, millions cannot be deported from a large, multi-ethnic, and multicultural country. This means the lives of millions in fear of the federal government. Trump did not instill more fear in these individuals during his victory speech, but the cause of fear remains. His tone regarding Mexican immigrants (calling them rapists and traffickers) at the beginning of the election campaigns, if it leads to decision-making and policymaking in the White House, is naturally concerning for immigrants and their families. Running the Country Apart from empty promises—that everything will be good and excellent during his presidency and that people will tire of victory—Trump has not presented anything in the elections. A country cannot be run with these empty promises. The concern of economic markets (with the New York stock market falling in the early hours after his victory announcement) stems from this state of inexperience and lack of planning from Trump. He has not even acted for one day in the capacity of managing a public institution. Eisenhower also had such a characteristic before his election, but he was a commander and a war hero. Besides inexperience, what can concern everyone is Trump's claims of knowing everything and solving all problems alone. He promised at Republican campaign rallies that he would solve all problems by himself. Confronting Islamism Trump promised during the election campaigns to combat the Islamic Caliphate, civilian massacres, and torture of prisoners, and to bomb their centers. If the United States adopts the same behavior it had against Hitler and his allies during World War II and against Vietnamese communists during the Vietnam War (bombing cities and villages), hundreds of thousands of ISIS militants and ordinary people living in their territory will be killed. This raises serious concerns for Muslims living in today's war-torn Middle East.