by Evelyn San Miguel ‘26

On the evening of November 5, millions remained glued to their televisions, phones, and computers, staying up far into the night to await the outcome of the race to the White House as political pundits debated results through the hours. By early morning, news channels began calling the election for former President and President-elect Donald Trump. For the second time, more half of the country chose a convicted felon, civilly liable sexual abuser, and womanizer to hold the highest office in the United States.

Young women watched the results pour in, and woke up on November 6 cautiously optimistic that they might see a woman ascend to the Presidency. Had she won, Kamala Harris would have been the first female president, the first South-Asian president, and the first African-American female president to hold the office. Despite her qualifications, with over 21 years of experience in all three branches of government and a fiscal policy plan approved by Nobel laureates in economics, the country still chose instead to send a message to Harris, and to women everywhere. The majority of voting Americans — over 77 million — would rather see Trump back in office than a woman.

For the ill-informed, ignorant, or those who want to forget, here’s a review of just some of Trump’s conduct pre-, and post-presidency. Trump, in 2023, was found liable of sexually abusing journalist Elizabeth Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in spring of 1996. In 2016, Trump paid for the silence of pornographic actress Stormy Daniels to the sum of about $130,000, with whom he had an alleged affair in 2006. Throughout his career as a Hollywood star for his show, The Apprentice, Trump made repeated comments about the power his wealth and fame allowed him, boasting that he could “do anything” he wanted with women. As President, Trump nominated three Justices to the Supreme Court, all of whom contributed to the majority decision in the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. As a result, 41 states have passed laws restricting abortion, and 13 have banned abortion altogether. This has led to the endangerment of women as many who need abortions are forced to carry through with their pregnancies or must travel long distances to states that uphold the right to abortion.

Following Trump’s 2024 election win, thousands of users on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other social media sites rejoiced. Attacks toward female users poured in, with the phrase your body, my choice littering public forums and videos, even ones unrelated to the election. The phrase, stemming from the rallying cry for abortion rights used by activists — my body, my choice — is a direct attack against abortion rights and signals a greater underlying theme which threatens the future and safety of American women everywhere. Women, particularly young women, face a dangerous new reality. While the future of the women’s rights movement appeared to be hurtling in the direction of progress, the election of men like Donald Trump inherently inhibit positive change.

Trump’s appointee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, believes women should not serve in combat. Elon Musk, who willhead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) come January, faces a sexual harassment lawsuit against himself and his company SpaceX by eight former employees in which he was accused of cultivating a “pervasively sexist culture.” Trump’s initial nominee for Attorney General, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), was under investigation for sex-trafficking and sexual assault allegations and only withdrew after The New York Times released Venmo payments made to prostitutes while Congressman. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s appointee for head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was accused of groping a former family babysitter.

Men with money and power have made abundantly clear that these are the spaces they deserve to occupy. They expound upon their superiority and marginalize minorities and women in the process, showing the world that no matter how ridiculous they act, their entitlement as men is more than enough to displace all that makes them so dishonorable. This narrative being spun by the next wave of male political figures will inherently harm young women and their futures, with their place in society being deemed as inferior by the grandiose men who occupy the spaces women deserve — and always have deserved — to inhabit.