The lesser of two evils

For the last year and a half, Donald Trump's Presidential campaign has been built largely on anger and mistrust. He told the disenfranchised what they wanted to hear, and they responded by electing him as the 45th President of the United States on Tuesday night.

Now, the real challenge begins.

Trump, the first television personality to ascend to the White House since Ronald Reagan in 1980, is unquestionably the Anti-Reagan. What we've seen these 18 months, notwithstanding the accusations brought forth over the final month of sexual assault dating back several years, is a 70 year old businessman acting the part of a spoiled, over-privileged, whiny little boy who throws a tantrum every time things don't go his way. Consider the fact that right at the start, he inflamed racial tensions by targeting Hispanics and Muslims, threatening to build a wall to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the borders into this country (Good luck carrying out that threat!), and banning anyone of the Muslim faith from entering the US. He fostered paranoia, more so than Joe McCarthy did in the 50's with his Communist witch hunts, with his relentless attacks, despite not having any concrete evidence to back up his outlandish claims. His speeches came across as if his friend, WWE CEO/Chairman Vince McMahon, had his writers work for Trump.

And, yet, in 2 1/2 months, he will be sworn into office as our next President.

Earlier this year, Trump met with Dr. James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, a prominent Christian watchdog group, and reportedly became a born again Christian. So why continue the facade of the angry American "patriot"? Because he had gotten this far with this elaborate charade, he figured, why stop? I was told the other day at church that Trump retained the services of 15 pastors as counselors leading into the election. The last two Presidents, Obama and George W. Bush, also spoke of having faith in God, but were held up to ridicule and embarrassment when some of their policies failed. Imagine what it's going to be when Trump faces his first crisis as President. He has to remember that the Oval Office of the White House isn't a boardroom. He has to treat world leaders as equals, not business rivals.

And what of his defeated opponent, former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton?

The baggage she had accumulated during her husband's two terms in office only increased with the continuing scrutiny over use of a private e-mail server for sensitive documents. The FBI chose not to pursue an investigation, perhaps caving to political pressure, but with Trump in office, will they finally pursue the case? Almost certainly. Mrs. Clinton's political career is virtually in ruins. The Democrats tried to fix it in her favor by ensuring that the one candidate that could've beaten Trump, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, would be denied the nomination, choosing an established brand name over another fresh face relatively unknown to the national stage. In other words, they didn't want another Obama in the form of Sanders.

Trump's victory, it is already reported, could reap benefits for former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who's been exposed as being out of touch with reality in recent interviews. Articles I've read suggest that Giuliani could be appointed as US Attorney General. He'd be a better bet than disgraced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, though not by much. Trump is calling for unity now, in the wake of his victory, but that should've been the battle cry right at the start, instead of fanning the flames of distrust.

The public now has to realize that Trump put on an elaborate act over the last 18 months. He didn't have the political experience of a Reagan or a Bush or even Jimmy Carter, nor the charismatic presence of Reagan or Carter. To make up for that deficiency, he had to pretend to be the Angry American. Now, the mask has to come off. The reality of being President awaits.