If you ever have a chance to go to Pike Cornerstone in Arlington, Virginia for their $5 dollar wine tasting, you ought to give a shot. It was there that I met Alan, a Black professional in his late 30s who, though he’s a Democrat, has an almost whimsical take on the soon-to-be Trump presidency.
"He won," Alan told me after we had sloshed the Clara C Prosecco around our mouths a bit, "it was decisive," he added, "and he gets to do what he wants to do now. I might not love it, but let's see what happens."
Even the shock nomination of controversial former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be attorney general didn’t seem to phase Alan, "It feels like a troll," he laughed, "but again, all we can do is wait and see."
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Alan’s attitude, along with that of the other liberals who I have spoken to this past week, are distinctly different from the anger, and frankly, pageantry that resulted from Trump’s first victory eight years ago.
Back then we had furious women marching in their millions in pink hats. Defiance was the watchword for disappointed Hillary Clinton voters, but this time, there is a resignation to Trump’s second term, which is an opportunity for the president-elect, but also a risk.
Trump’s first term as president was barely given a chance; half the country and about 90% of the news media treated it not so much as a new administration, but as a crisis that had to be thwarted.
That level of disdain is not happening this time, and while that provides Trump a runway to do the things he wants to do as president, it also means he has no excuses should he fail.
The reaction to Trump’s win brought to mind a conversation I had a few days before the election with Susan, a retired woman in her late 60s who is no Trump fan but thought he would win.
"If he wins," she told me, "He’ll have to prove himself."
This is also what I heard from Sam, in his mid-30s at Arlington National Cemetery. Also a Democrat, he told me as we looked over the rolling hills of bright white tombstones, "It's about these guys," he told me, "this is what they fought for."
There is a real chance for the country to come together here. The Elon Musks and his band of social media trolls will continue to try to humiliate, insult and "own the libs," but that is a mistake. There is a real chance for the country to heal right now and it ought to be taken.
Almost by accident at Arlington National Cemetery I turned a corner and found myself at the grave of President John F. Kennedy, his eternal flame flickering in a gentle wind, the small crowd falling into a hush.
In 1960, JFK won one of the closest and most contentious elections in American history. It was not until his tragic death that he became a unifying figure for our nation. But it was not just his assassination that made that happen, it was his words.
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"Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country," is an immortal and humbling call, and I see signs that disappointed Democrats are taking it to heart as Trump 2.0 begins.
""In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there," a Trump signature phrase from this election, will likely never be engraved in stone, but that doesn’t mean that he cannot ultimately be a unifying figure.
Back in October, in Allentown, Pa., I met a small business owner, who I was pretty sure was voting for Harris, say, "Whoever wins, I hope they put the country first." He was open to Trump and I think he would rather be proven wrong than correct about his instincts regarding the incoming president.
Look around. There are no riots, no massive protests planned, no ludicrous claims that Russia swayed the election, instead of all those things there is--and I’m just gonna say it--hope.
Donald Trump and all of us have a real chance to come together and heal our nation over the next four years. I see how badly people want that.
It is my fervent prayer that all of us take advantage of this opportunity.
