President Donald J. Trump – 10 Initial Gut Reactions and Reflections

I do not follow politics closely anymore, so I am not well-placed to comment on the recent election as anything other than a regular, half-awake citizen. So instead of thoughtful, informed commentary on the political future ahead, I am offering my initial gut reactions and reflections on the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States (some of which are basically what I was Tweeting in the wee hours of the morning).

1. It was very interesting to see all of the Hilary bashing on my gun Twitter feed (@gunculture2pt0) and comparatively little pro Trump sentiment. Celebrating someone’s loss rather than someone’s win doesn’t make it feel like much of a win for the country.
2. Among those who were commenting on Trump’s win rather than Clinton’s loss, I found it funny (odd, not ha-ha) to see people thanking and praising Trump for doing things he hasn’t done yet. E.g., “Thank you for making America great again.” I can see expressions of hope, but Trump is all promises at this point.
3. Olive branches and unifying language in Trump acceptance speech. He continues to surprise.
4. When he just reads the teleprompter he sounds presidential. Can he keep it up?
5. My hope is that “Trump,” the character he plays for the cameras, will become Donald J. Trump, President of the United States now. That is, I hope that the office of the president will mold him into someone who can lead a diverse and complex society in an uncertain world.
6. My guess is Trump is essentially a pragmatist not an ideologue, and that those who think this is some sort of ideological revolution will be disappointed.
7. Relating to #6, I just uncovered two books I read as an undergrad back in 1986-1987, both of which highlight the possibility and difficulty of leading political revolutions.

8. For all the “drain the swamp” and “reset” rhetoric, almost all incumbents in U.S. Senate and House races were re-elected. (Related: I was shocked by the number of local races on my ballot that were uncontested.)
9. I find the gloating by Trump supporters this morning excessive, considering that he seems to have lost the popular vote. As Gil Scott Heron once said, mandate my ass.
10. I hope this means Trump will upgrade his wardrobe from those ugly, ill-fitting (Chinese-made Trump brand?) suits. If those suits are in fact custom tailored, I have just two words for his tailor: “You’re fired!”