So, some of the world woke up to find that Donald Trump is the new President-elect. Many of us didn’t see this happening, much like many of us didn’t see the whole Brexit thing (which at this point is looking more like a prelude to a riot when Parliament gets to vote again as to whether or not we skedaddle).

I showered and dressed, zombied my way into my parents’ bedroom, tip-toed over to my dad’s side of the bed and whispered into the ear of my snoring patriarch: “President Trump.”

I nearly lost my face as he twisted into an upright position and roared: “What?”

My mum immediately opened her eyes, rather startled, demanding to know what was up.

“Trump got in,” dad told her, awarding her the gentle tone he normally uses when announcing tragic news normally saved for moments like the apocalypse is happening tomorrow so perhaps we should all stay in and pray.

I stayed long enough to laugh like a woman possessed at Trump’s speech, the empty apology he offered for being late because he was on the phone to Hillary Clinton congratulating her on her campaign and wishing her and her family well. Interestingly enough, he probably wouldn’t have taken her call if the shoe had been on the other foot.

Right now I feel like my neighbours are converting the basement into a nuclear bunker just in case the man who now has control of the Big Red Button throws a tantrum over someone calling his lies lies. My rather liberal Facebook friends over in the US seem to have had the life sucked out of them by the result. Some have already blocked their Trump-supporting friends over how they’ve celebrated the man’s victory while the supporters seem to have blocked them in turn for being sore losers.

It’s tough to see a bright side to this. Perhaps a massive change is what’s needed – it’s possible that, like Brexit, people haven’t voted for Trump; they’ve voted for change. But can that change actually happen in a way that benefits the American people?

I’ve seen a lot of people – a lot of them Millennials who should have known better – saying they’re defending their right to not vote because they didn’t like either candidate. Hopefully these people won’t start complaining about the result. I’m all for the right to not use the vote you’ve been given, but sometimes that vote matters.

If we use Brexit as an example, I feel like the next few months will see an increase in verbal and physical aggression against immigrants – legal and otherwise – and non-white US-born citizens. It’s going to be scary. Of Trump’s voters, the racists – I will acknowledge that not all are racists – will take this opportunity to strike out at anything that isn’t white. We’re going to see more people killed by police.

Out of interest, what’s the protocol on POTUS Twitter accounts? Will Trump for the next few years have to act like an adult and stay off social media? We can hope – America needs at least one silver lining at the moment.