With Trump as president, we can finally drain the swamp

President-elect Donald J. Trump. Let that sink in.

Trump miraculously won when everyone doubted him — and did so by a landslide. His surge even contributed to the Republican Party remaining in control of both the House and the Senate.

While I only agreed to support Trump when he became the Republican nominee, I was still expecting to get used to saying “Madam President.” Scandal after scandal seemed to plague Trump’s campaign — he never did release his tax returns — and I endured a great deal of outrage for continuing to publicly support him for president.

{mosads}I believe that Trump can credit his victory to exactly what he called “the silent majority.” While it is true that Trump had many very proud supporters, there were many who did not come out openly, for fear of being labeled a racist or misogynist. Instead, many of his supporters silently cast their vote for him — this may explain why the polls were so wrong.

Trump’s message to “drain the swamp” truly resonated with the American people. He was able to mobilize his masses to speak out against the establishment and the media. Trump led his campaign as a fight against the status quo and corruption. Many Americans see this as a new chapter in American politics, where we can rid ourselves from the political dynasties of the Bushes and the Clintons, and the corruption that many people see that comes with it.

I watched the results come in last night as I sat in my Campus Center, where students packed in to watch together. My three friends and I were the only Trump supporters there, in a crowd of over 100 students, and as Trump began to win you could feel the hostility. I endured profanity, middle fingers and threats on social media as the realization of what was taking place set in.

It is a stressful time for everyone, and although some believe it is the end of the world, I believe it’s not. “It’s time for America to bind the wounds of division,” Trump said in his victory speech last night. “We have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”

This was the pivot that Trump’s campaign told us would come, where Trump takes on a presidential attitude. It was beautiful.

I welcome President-elect Donald Trump as an outsider who wishes to “drain the swamp” of the corrupt establishment. The populist backlash for Trump should send a clear message to Washington that the status quo is no longer tenable. And for those of us who believe in principles of limited government, judicial restraint, religious liberty and the sanctity of life, we now have an obligation to hold Trump accountable to the Republican principles he ran under.

Don’t let this fool you, conservatives. It is time for the Never Trumpers and the Trump supporters to finally reunite and ensure that we put pressure on Donald Trump to stay on the path of conservatism. It is now our duty to ensure he succeeds, and we do this by being even louder activists.

Whether you voted for him or not, It’s time to unite America. The divisiveness has torn our country apart. Let us fix it.

Dillon is a junior at Mount Holyoke College studying International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the MHC College Republican President, the Massachusetts YAL state chair, and she is also the founder of LoneConservative.com She can be found on Twitter at @KassyDillon.

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