Election Night

by Kyle Tay

               For twenty days, the campaign ads played nonstop on my television. Ads flashed across my screen, persuading me to either support or disapprove their cause. The news anchors have been making predictions, theorizing about the candidates’ strategies and shortcomings: an endless flood of speculation and guesswork.

               Recaps of the town halls each candidate held play. In Trump’s town hall on NBC, he deflects questions and rambles about other stuff. His spiels always involve blaming the Democrats for the recent problems that are plaguing the country, such as the anti-police riots. The moderator must ask him several times to remain on topic, but he interrupts her like he did with Chris Wallace, yelling over her words and demanding to speak more. On the other hand, Biden’s town hall is less chaotic. He follows the typical politician route, answering questions by repeating his campaign promises. He avoids the hard questions by saying he won’t know until he becomes President. Many news anchors have praised Biden for his demeanor toward the audience and moderator.

               The day has arrived. Last minute predictions are made as people line up to vote in their states. Long lines of people snake around buildings as they wait to cast their ballot. Impromptu interviews are carried out by reporters, asking voters who they voted for and why.  The clock is ticking, time slipping away with every passing minute. Around six o’ clock, the voting polls on the east coast are starting to close.

               I watch the news channel closely, wondering which state will be called first. As a financial analyst, I am confident at guessing the outcomes of certain states like California. But there are some states I’m uncertain about, such as Pennsylvania and Georgia. Those states are wild cards, unpredictable anomalies that could go for either candidates.  Like a line of dominoes, states reveal their winner.

               By the time Florida comes up, the states in the Central time zone have closed their voting polls. The entire Mideast is a sea of crimson red with patches of blue. For some strange reason, Texas has not been called yet. The news anchors express a bit of hope, saying it is a battleground state. Eventually, the Lone Star state turns red, retaining its reputation as a Republican bastion. To my surprise, there are some unexpected outliers. Both Arizona and Louisiana have flipped blue. I don’t know why they turned blue, but the reasons don’t matter so long as these victories put Joe Biden in the lead. Finally, the West Coast states are called. As expected, they turn blue.  

               The news switches to President Trump giving his concession speech at Trump Tower. Standing at the lectern, he faces his rowdy supporters, who are yelling at the President to challenge the results. He waves to his supporters, who stop yelling.

               Trump begins his rant by admitting it was a tough race. He then claims the voting centers were rigged, and that the Democrats stuffed the votes. He says there were “millions of illegal votes” in the poll. The cyclone of lies continues to churn as he rambles about Sleepy Joe, Crooked Hillary and Obama spying on his campaign four years ago.

I tune out the rest of the speech as I scroll through Twitter. The results are mixed. On one side, people are ecstatic about Biden winning the election and they are hopeful that Joe will carry out his promise while rebuilding America’s reputation. On the other, Trump supporters are spewing conspiracy theories and raging at the election results. They believed the election is rigged and ought to be challenged in front of the Supreme Court.  

As I reach for the remote controller, the defeated President says something unexpected. His face red from shouting, he raises his fist in the air. “I promise you, if things go south, I will use everything in my power to stop Joe Biden.” The crowd roars so loudly that the camera is shaking. They chant the campaign’s slogan, “Make America Great again” over and over. Some of them pump their fists in the air. The choreography isn’t perfect, but it is enough to resemble a Nazi rally.

I flip to the next channel, which shows Joe Biden steeping toward his podium. The crowd is cheering wildly for him as streamers fall from the ceiling. They chant his last name repeatedly as he waves and smiles. After a few minutes, he begins his speech.

“We have accomplished a great victory tonight,” he says. He pauses to survey the crowd before him, who are listening carefully every word. “We have proven that the people are tired of President Trump.” The crowd jeers at the mention of Trump.  

Biden holds his hand up and the ridicule dies down. “I understand your dislike for Trump and the Republican Party. For too long, they have caused trouble for us. But, as I said before, I will represent every American in this country. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from a blue state or red state. Every state is part of the United States of America.”

               For another few minutes, he speaks about the possible trouble ahead of the new administration and how it will hamper them. He concludes his speech by ensuring a peaceful transfer of power from the Trump administration.

               After Biden’s speech, I flip through the news channels to see the current state of the country. Riots from discontented Trump supporters occur in the cities. A video of New York policemen holding back a crowd with their baton sticks is shown on one channel.  The rioters are screaming obscenities at the policemen, channeling their hatred of Biden.

               It’s past midnight, and I switch off the TV. As I lay under the covers, I wonder back to Trump’s warning. While I know it is supposed to scare people, I am afraid that he will carry out this threat this time. He has always said the most ridiculous things and threatening to carry them out. Yet when the deadline passes, he doesn’t do what he said he would do. In the end, his threats are used to gain publicity, to stir up the pot of uncertainty inside every American’s stomach. Even though the road ahead will be tough and long, I can hope that things will get better.