How to respond: Sure, Trump is unlikely to show up at your doorstep, mosque, or grocery store and harass you — but his reach is wide, and even the bluest of states are not free from hate crimes sparked by a president-elect who has given white supremacists (and anyone with a hateful streak) permission to reveal themselves.
Following Trump's election, the Southern Poverty Law Center tracked almost 900 reports of harassment and intimidation in the 10 days following Nov. 8. Many of these hate crimes and related incidents have been targeted toward some of the groups most condemned by Trump's rhetoric and policies, including women, Muslims, Mexican-Americans, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community.
The number of reports in the days after Trump's win spiked by six percent, indicating a connection to Trump's win. Despite taking the time to condemn the casts of Hamilton and SNL, Trump's only public comment on these events came during his 60 Minutes interview, when he told perpetrators to "stop it."
We can also look to his 100-day plan as proof that people have reason to be afraid — his ambitious wish list of goals includes imposing term limits, constructing a border wall and forcing Mexico to reimburse the US for costs, rolling back aspects of the Affordable Care Act, renegotiating NAFTA, withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, lifting blocks on energy infrastructure projects (like the Keystone Pipeline), and canceling federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities.
Trump's plans would be severely damaging and dangerous to marginalized Americans as well as the country as a whole. While defense and transportation sectors could reap some benefits of a Trump presidency, it's predicted that Trump's plans could severely damage foreign trade relations, rob at least 20 million people of their health insurance, and widen the gap between America's richest and poorest citizens.
