Surviving Trump: The Tough Conversations Black America Needs To Have
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The dystopian nightmare that haunts us is finally here. Donald Trump and the ToTRUMPlatarians are set to take office and the dark clouds are looming. The air you feel on the back of your neck, that cold air that makes you hunch your shoulders up, is the feeling of dread we know awaits us. Or a refusal to believe that climate change is real, but you get the point.
It’s been a couple of months now and my hope is that the visceral reactions and the primal screaming have subsided enough that we can have honest conversations and face some harsh truths.
The United States has made its choice and that choice is for xenophobia, racism, sexism and anti-LGBTQIA+ rights. America’s choice is to try its damndest to Make America A Lot Like the Jim Crow South during the Civil Rights Movement. At this point, I fully expect to see “Whites Only” water fountains and I’m not joking here. I think America underestimated the level of hate that this administration has for people who don’t look like them (or maybe they didn’t) and the destruction of America as we know it has already begun. And that isn’t hyperbole, that’s calling a thing a thing.
The incoming Trump administration has already threatened to shut down institutions like the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service. The future president has threatened to go after political rivals and news programs that have been critical of his buffoonish candidacy. He’s called for mass deportations, a push to destroy LGBTQIA+ rights, and even plans to end sensible gun safety laws.
But tell me more about egg prices, please. And don’t worry democrats even fell for the prices are so damn high red herring. Not that they aren’t high but let’s be clear, this election was never about high prices. And all of us fell for it. It would be at this moment in the Orwellian play of our lives, “Why Won’t White Women Just Leave The Football On the Ground, Charlie Brown?” where Dr. King looks over at Harry Belafonte and says: “I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.”
At this point it’s important to look at two truths that can’t be escaped: America voted to destroy itself, or as Adrian Bott tweeted and Franchesca Ramsey made famous through song, “I never thought that the leopards would eat my face,” and outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t lose the election in so much as she never really had a chance, because Harris ran a campaign and Trump runs a cult.
There is a difference. Let me explain.
Trump’s run for the White House was fueled by hate. In fact, he ran as an empty vessel that could be filled with whatever hatred those who love him hold. He had no policy, no agenda, no CliffsNotes, nothing. He literally took to stages and freestyled a running message of hate and fear (Haitians are eating house pets; immigrants are raping and murdering white women) that spoke to middle America’s bigotry and in turn that was all he needed for a return trip back to 1600 Penn. Ave.
It’s misguided to argue all the things that Harris could’ve done differently; (and, yes there are things she could’ve done to pick up votes; even if she received all of Jill Stein’s votes she still wouldn’t have won) but the line was drawn when the man she was running against held a 30-minute dance party nearing the end of his candidacy and at one point imitated giving fellatio to a microphone and none of this stopped those who loved him for voting for him.
What’s worse is that white America knew it. They were in on the joke.
The U.S. Capitol Building is seen during sunrise ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Source: Eric Thayer / Getty
Trump wasn’t just destroyed in the only debate that he and Harris had, he was exposed. He was devoid of a plan and incoherent. Without an audience, he was merely a jester without a court. He was reduced to being an old man yelling at the fast cars driving down his block. If America actually wanted real governance, then this election wouldn’t have been close.
But America has spoken and what they elected is all the fears that fuel the survival of sundown towns and the end of affirmative action. America voted to blow itself up from the inside and it’s hard to root for an America that doesn’t want to right the ship, but would rather drown everyone. And even if they die in the process, then at least they’ve killed those they hate.
So now we wait for the implementation of Project 2025 (we all know it’s coming), the confederacy of dunces that make up Trump’s cabinet and the nonsensical–almost comical if the balance of the free world wasn’t at stake–press conferences that we know await.
So this series isn’t just to chart the devastation that we are sure will ensue, it’s also a mental health check-in to make sure we are all going to make it. It’s a look at all of the ways this new administration will plan to destroy us and all the ways we can fight back. It’s a look at how we got here and how we can get out of it. But make no mistake about it, it’s going to be rough. There will be bumps and bruises. But I promise if you ride with me there will be snacks and who doesn’t like cookies especially as the world we know, the one we all bought into, is crumbling around us.
Stephen A. Crockett Jr. is the former opinion editor at HuffPost. His opinionated work began around the age of seven when he argued successfully that the Boy Scouts was not a group he needed to belong to. His previous work has appeared on The Root, The Washington Post and the San Jose Mercury News.
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