For the slightly more than 50% of voters who did not vote for Trump, many of us are still in shock, avoiding listening to and reading the painful news, talking quietly among ourselves, trying to understand and waiting to see what will happen.

The waiting time is over.

Donald Trump won the election with lies, showmanship and refusal to ever admit fault. This pattern will continue and, with control of the government, I fear that the facts and the truth – if history is still a reliable guide – are going to be even harder for all Americans to obtain and hold on to. It is our job to hold firm and remember, despite the repeated onslaught. The U.S. may be different, going forward, and while we need to learn from this election, basic facts and the truth do not change.

Let us remind ourselves of a small and incomplete list of some simple truths.

1. President Biden won in 2020 and former President Trump won in 2024. Though it always needs improvement, we have one of the best voting systems in the world.

2. Inflation is a problem in the United States, and the impressive progress we have made in the last few years is working. Our economy is the envy of the world, and we need to continue to increase manufacturing in the U.S. and buy American. The new administration plans to lower taxes on the wealthy and on large corporations. We know this will increase the deficit, which will increase inflation. Watch for it. Further, trickle-down economics is a nice idea, but it has never worked for anyone but the wealthy. When the economy worsens, Trump will blame someone or something else. Watch for this also.

3. Science is good. Vaccines work. Anti-protozoal medicines do not treat viruses. COVID and polio and HIV are viruses, and they are infectious diseases, not social diseases. They require continued research by dedicated well funded scientists. Separately, we can all agree that eating good food, exercising and having a safe and healthy environment is vital. Beyond this, health care needs to be based on science and research and fact, always learning and changing and progressing, not on anecdote and fluff.

4. Global warming is here and it is real. Our government and the governments of the world must work together to help protect the planet. Working on this now may be complex and expensive, but it is so much more costly to ignore it. Ignoring climate change will be terrible for the economy right now, but great for making China stronger. Accepting climate change and working on it is an investment in our health and our world now and in the near, not distant, future.

5. Immigrants, and descendants of immigrants – as most of us are – are what makes America great. Yes, we need to fix our immigration system, but immigrants aren’t here to eat pets or cause crime, or rape our citizens, or at least they don’t do these things any more than the rest of us. They do not steal jobs. Immigrants and those who are “different” have been scapegoated many times before in history. We can look to many failed examples in our country in the 19th and 20th centuries and at recent horrific attempts to scapegoat others in Africa and Europe. Why would we want to repeat this old pattern?

6. Freedom is what “makes America great.” This means freedom of religion, freedom of choice, freedom to express your sexuality in private, freedom to have the best health possible and enjoy our lives, fand reedom to disagree with neighbors and friends with respect. Freedom and the concept of a diverse democracy is truly what has always made America great. It is why we came to America. To maintain the freedom we enjoy, we cannot take it for granted. And more, we need to make some sacrifices to keep our society cohesive. For the greater good, we need to pay taxes, stop at stop signs and not drive drunk, pay for our fire departments and police and military, support public health guidelines, have good schools available for all, and (at least, in my opinion) provide basic health care to all.

7. Transgender people make up a tiny percentage of our population. Like everyone else, they pay taxes and contribute to the wonderful diversity that makes us so vibrant and strong. It is a free country; they should be free as well.

8. Racism and sexism is, sadly, still a huge problem in our country. This election reminded us of that fact.

Repeating lies over and over sometimes makes them seem real, and I am hoping this shortlist will reinforce the truths, lest we forget. When the economy worsens, when U.S. government agencies are disabled or blocked, when reliable news organizations are criticized and weakened, and when the world separates itself from us, we know that Trump and his administration will not accept any blame and will continue to obscure the truth.

All Americans are in this together. We need to speak up, to remember the truth and the facts. We cannot become the new silent majority.