Well, that just happened
After two impeachments during his first term, a 2020 election loss, two assassination attempts and four criminal cases with 34 criminal convictions, Donald Trump won back the presidency in 2024. The Associated Press called the race for Trump at 5:35 a.m. EST after he won Wisconsin and secured 277 electoral votes, beating Vice President Kamala Harris.
As someone who is part of the LGBTQIA+ space, this outcome is not what I had wanted; it was my nightmare coming true. Many things will change because of this, and most are not for the better. I am not going to talk politics since that is a slipperly slope I do not want to deal with, but I will touch on some other topics.
I have already terminated contracts for all US servers that I currently rent out that. For the people that rely on the services I host, please note that you might experience some downtime in the coming days as I move the servers to a new location. My family and I all have German citizenship so we are also exploring options for me to studying abroad in Germany or other countries in the EU. Everything is still up in the air, but I am trying to make sense of everything as it comes.
This outcome has left many people in shock, and I have seen a lot of misinformation being spread. I am going to break down what happened, state the facts, and what to do next.
The results
Currently as of writing this, the election results are as follows:
- Trump wins the presidency with 277 electoral votes and 51.0% of the popular vote, leaving Harris with 224 electoral votes and 47.5% of the popular vote.
- The Senate been taken by the Republicans with 52 seats, leaving the Democrats with 42 seats and 6 seats yet to be called.
- The House is still undecided with the Democrats holding 181 seats and the Republicans holding 199 seats, with 55 seats yet to be called.
- Across the country, all governor races have been called, with the Republicans having 27 seats and the Democrats having 23 seats.
These results are subject to change as the votes are still being counted, but the state of the Presidential, Senate, and Governor Elections are pretty much final. If you want to see the current results, you can check out the AP’s live election results.
But that’s just a theory, a election theory
I am going to quickly debunk two theories that people have already started spreading, even on the Fediverse.
It was rigged1!!1
No it was not
Until there is any evidence proving otherwise, the election was not rigged. There have been no credible reports of any election fraud. Many theories have already been debunked by Snopes.
However, if you have any evidence of election fraud, please report it to the relevant authorities and they will investigate it.
It is not over!, all the votes have not been counted yet!
It does not matter, Trump won
I am just going to paste my fedi post I made about this subject because I hate having to reiterate this point to some people.
I already know this is a heated topic for people on both sides of the election, and I just wanted to state a fact backed by many trusted news organizations
Donald Trump Won. Yes, this outcome is not what I had ever wished for, but we can not lie to ourselves by saying there are more votes. Out of the battleground states, there are not enough votes to flip the states. The results are pretty much set in stone. If you still want to take the copium that the outcome is different, be my guest, but do not be disappointed when the actual results reflect the projections. Remember, here is the current timeline for the future
Dec. 11: Deadline for states to send certifications to federal officials after their state certifies election results.
Dec. 17: The Electoral College meets. Electors cast their ballots in all 50 states and transmit these votes to the National Archivist and the President of the Senate in DC.
Jan. 6, 2025: Electoral votes are read before a joint session of Congress.
Jan. 20, 2025: The president is inaugurated.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is our world. I am all for an incredible comeback, and I really would find it awesome! But I am also realistic about the future.
Sources:
From @3kh0@defcon.social
Some of the replies I got this almost always went along the lines uh, “No one wins until the votes are counted” or “there are votes still being counted in a good majority of battleground states. He is only projected to win, that is different”. I am sorry, but the projections are pretty much set in stone. The votes that are left to be counted are not enough to flip the states that are still in play.
As I said in my fedi post, I am all for an incredible comeback, and I really would find it awesome! But I am also realistic about the future.
If you want to learn how the AP actually do their projections, you can check out their methodology and FAQ where they explain how they determine the winner of an race.
But there is more!
This situation is still fresh off the press, so I am sure more misinformation is spreading as I am writing this.
As with standard security protocol: Never trust, always verify.
Check for sources, and make sure you use credible sources such as the AP, Reuters, The Hill, and the BBC.
Well what now?
Well, there is really not much we can do now, but if you want to help, here are a few resources.
Helplines
There is this amazing organization called Trans Rescue which is committed to helping transgender people move from the US to better places in the world where they will be respected. I have personally donated to them because they do good work, and I urge anyone who can donate to please do so.
If you are planning to travel soon, please make sure your passport will be valid and if not, renew your passport sooner rather than later. Here are a few links for the people who are in the United States:
- Passport renewal (online): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.html
- Passport application (in person): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html
- Passport renewal (by mail, needed if changing name or gender marker): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html
- Passport gender marker changes: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/selecting-your-gender-marker.html
If you are outside of the states, you will need to find the resources on your own as I simply do not know the process in your country.
There is also a 24/7 suicide hotline for transgender people who need help, just call (877) 565-8860 if you are in the US or (877) 330-6366 if you are in Canada. This hotline is operated by Trans Lifeline. I also want to mention that The Trevor Project also has live support resources for anyone and everyone that can be reached by calling (866) 488-7386 or by going to their website
But above all else…
Be kind.
Many people are still reacting to this change. Just be patient with people, as the election outcome has affected everyone differently.
If you are (or someone you know is) thinking about self-harm because of the results of the election, please don’t. You can make it through this. You are valued. Suicide is never the option. If you do not have someone to talk to, my DMs are always open to anyone and everyone.
Conclusion
Sorry for the shorter post. I was in a rush to get this out before things changed too much. Maybe in a later post I will do a deeper dive into what this election really means for the future policies, elections, and democracy as a whole, but I need to let things simmer down. I would like to thank Entropy for helping fact-check and check for any grammar issues. Thank you for your help on such short notice.
One of my friends sent me this comic and I think it is the best representation of our current situation, so I will just end it on that note.
