In two weeks the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States will take place. In the two months since Nov. 8, the nation has remained polarized.

It started with people rioting, protesting and spewing hate all around because of the newly elected Trump. This monstrous problem needs to be fixed. People need to give Trump a chance to prove himself worthy before criticizing him so harshly.

It is fine to have a different opinion on some subjects, and voicing them is part of our rights as American citizens, whether it be by casually disagreeing with a friend or protesting in the streets; however, allowing the display of dissenting opinions to become violent and hateful is a step too far.

Azadeh Ansari of CNN reported: “An anti-Trump rally in Portland, Oregon, revved up as protesters confronted police Thursday night. What started out as a peaceful march, with more than 4,000 people, quickly turned violent. Over the course of the evening, ‘anarchists’ in the crowd threw objects at officers, vandalized local businesses and damaged cars.”

These kinds of events simply anger both sides of the political spectrum, which in turn causes each side to hate each other more and become more polarized.  

People need to learn that they will not always get their way. That is just a simple fact of life, and they need to know that when they do not get their way, rioting and acting violently is not the way. People need to come to terms with the situation they dislike and try to find ways to make it better for themselves — peacefully and intelligently.

Donnie Liebert, an employee at the Census Bureau, said, “Rather than fighting and pulling the nation apart, people need to come together and cooperate to move forward.”

This is true. People need to stop fighting and begin compromising.  This is a very difficult task, however. Perhaps an easier route would be simply giving Trump a chance to prove himself as president first, rather than protesting now.

Liebert said, “As of now, President Trump has not made any serious mistakes or done any serious harm to the country to deserve the reaction that his election has gotten.”

Many people, including myself, would have rather had Hillary Clinton elected president. But this is no reason to deny him a chance to prove himself. We should grant him a pardon for some of the things that he has done in the past and allow him a chance to show that he can overcome those mistakes and be a good leader for our country.

If Donald Trump does make serious mistakes as president, then people have the right to react strongly. At this point we need to come together to help support those who are truly terrified of Trump’s election because of what he has said in the past. We need to help comfort groups that are terrified for their lives and livelihoods.

Liebert said, “One thing that this country needs is compromise.”

If we can do this, this country will make it through Trump’s presidency and come out of it for the better — if not because of Trump, then because the country learned to come together and compromise with opposing sides, something that hasn’t happened in a long time.