Severe anxiety about Trump? Consider the following

autistic-answers:

I’ve been really worried, hearing the things Trump says in the election. This is a scary election, especially for people with anxiety disorders. I called my dad and he talked to me about some facts of American democracy.

Trump cannot overthrow this country, or upend its long democratic history. So if your anxiety is gripping you, consider the following.

About the election:

1. Trump’s chances of winning are very low. And constantly diminishing. Hillary Clinton has over a 90% chance of winning, by most calculations. Especially if you (yes, you!) go vote.
2. Voter intimidation is super illegal. You think white nationalists will be allowed to stroll in and harass people of color who are trying to vote, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it? Think again. The penalty is 2 years prison time and a hefty fine.
3. Democrats, in particular, have a vested interest in protecting people of color’s ability to vote safely. They aren’t going to sit by and do nothing.

If (when) Hillary wins:

1. Americans hate sore losers. Trump won’t look like a leader if he keeps shouting about rigged elections, he’ll look like a whiny man-child throwing a tantrum.
   
2. Americans, including Trump voters, are fundamentally lazy. There’s a difference between claiming that you’re going to do violent things, and actually leaving the internet and doing those things.
   
3. They can’t overthrow the government. If they actually leave their houses and decide to have an uprising, it’s not going to go well for them. For one thing, we have police. If the police are too busy being white supremacists, then President Obama will call in the National Guard and put a stop to it. Obama isn’t going to allow any violent hissy fits.
4. School won’t become more dangerous. If radical Trump supporters want to riot, they’re probably going to do it at a government building, not at your school. If you haven’t seen noisy Trump supporters at your school so far, don’t expect them to magically appear once the results are in. Go to school.

If something ridiculous happens and Trump wins:

1. Okay, seriously, he’s extremely unlikely to win.
2. The government will prepare itself for his presidency. If Trump were to win, I wouldn’t be surprised if Congress passed a new bipartisan bill that severely limited presidential powers, and Obama signed it into law. Why would they support this? Because…
3. Trump has made a lot of enemies in politics. Including in his own party. Congress isn’t likely to cooperate with his ridiculous schemes.
   
4. Checks and balances. Trump might think he can be the dictator of the United States, but that doesn’t mean he can actually do that. Congress and the Supreme Court will still exist, and they’ll slam him if he’s abusing his power.
5. There’d be a high chance of a stock market crash, which would put pressure on Trump. I predict the stock market would tank after his election, because people wouldn’t be confident in America’s future under a reckless president. (Friendly investment reminder: don’t follow the crowd.) Anyway, this would show Trump that the country and world aren’t confident in him, and put pressure on him to start being a good president.
6. The media won’t take its eyes off Trump. They’ll be watching him. They’ll be talking about what he’s doing, especially if it’s bad. The media will pounce on morally questionable activity.
7. Severe abuses can result in impeachment. Would Trump do something awful and get himself impeached? I don’t know, but I would be 0% surprised if it happened.

My dad and I aren’t political commentators, just observers with a fair sense of how the world works. My dad has lived and learned in America for nearly 54 years, and he doesn’t believe that Trump can ruin it.

The media can talk about how Trump wants to be a dictator, and about how violent his supporters are. Do you have reason to be concerned? Yes, of  course. Should you be preparing for an end to America as we know it? No way. Trump doesn’t have that much power.

So, if your anxiety is getting the better of you, fact-check it. Remember that there are lots of people who care about a fair, balanced, free democracy. No one today has the power to destroy that.

Take care of yourselves, everyone, and don’t forget to vote.