Clarity

I don’t have all the answers, but here’s where I’m at today.

Today is heavy. I always knew that a Trump victory was possible but never let myself believe it was likely. Not because of vibes or polls or bubbles on social media. But because we kept winning elections, voters kept turning out, and looking at the MAGA political operation I honestly didn’t think they had what it took to get over the finish line. Clearly I was wrong. I absolutely believed that most Americans don’t want to live in a fascist hellscape. I was wrong about that too.

It’s a lot to sit with. A new wave of grief on top of the grief we’ve already been holding. A reckoning with the reality that our vision for America and the future of democracy is not one shared by the majority of Americans. That Trump voters lived through the same things we did, saw the same amoral man in action that we did, and chose him anyway. 

I’m not interested in participating in the circular firing squad of why Trump won and Harris lost. Because I don’t think messaging or strategy would have overcome this. Much like in 2016, I’m not sure there’s anything Harris could have realistically done to turn the tide. And as much as folks might not want to hear this I think her team ran a good campaign and Trump ran a terrible one. It just didn’t matter in the end.

Right now, I know that you’re looking for hope and optimism, any silver lining in a storm. Here’s what I can offer: clarity. I believe the better we understand the dark forces we’re up against the less scary they are. And anything we can do to reduce fear helps us think clearly and continue the fight. So here’s what you need to know right now:

Many Americans are now less safe than they were 24 hours ago. Donald Trump built his campaign on hate, and his supporters are now emboldened. We saw this in 2016, and after Roe fell. Our call to action is to show up for vulnerable communities and people as much as possible. Connection, solidarity, mutual aid, and protection are vital. Not just when Trump is Inaugurated again but right now. The more privilege you have, the braver you are called to be. 

Blaming one another isn’t helpful right now. Simply put, we can’t afford to become even more fractured. Everyone has opinions about who could have done what differently, but there’s no real way to know. We can reflect and consider where things went wrong, but looking for someone to blame won’t move us forward and gives MAGA more power as we fight among ourselves. Rather than tear one another apart, seek to build coalitions and maintain imperfect alliances. 

Billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel want more power and control. They bet on Trump and won. I’m not interested in getting into an argument about capitalism (or anything today) but we have to reconcile with just how much some billionaires want to destroy and rebuild America to make it even easier to enrich themselves. They went so much further than political donations, with Elon Musk even buying an entire social media platform. We won’t be able to match these guys dollar-for-dollar and they have control over a lot of legacy media and social media, so we need to find new ways to break through.

American Democracy, as we know it, is likely over. That creates space for something new to emerge. I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t tell you exactly what will happen next. But I know what Trump and MAGA want America to become and that they’re empowered to make a lot of it happen. We keep competing by the rules even though the competition is rigged, and every cycle, our opponents find ways to rig the system even more in their favor. Personally, I’ve never been more open to new ideas and things I haven’t considered before. Not because I don’t think democracy can work but because I think achieving a true multiracial democracy will mean rebuilding from the ground up. I’d encourage us to be open to new ways of thinking and systems for change. Because the space for that now exists.

As for me, I’m going to keep writing. Potentially, I want to write even more content or look for ways to expand on it. (If I can afford to, and right now, that’s a big “if”.) Nine years ago, I had a moment of clarity, realizing that what I was doing in elections wasn’t working and that we couldn’t win again until we understood the MAGA movement inside and out. Today, that clarity is me realizing that my expertise and knowledge of MAGA is my most valuable offering. 

We’ve got a long road ahead of us. Please take care of yourselves and one another. And thank you for all that you do. Even in our darkest days, I’m grateful to be in community with you all.