The American People voted Donald Trump into the highest office in the land, the presidency, on Nov. 8. Within hours, protests began in many major cities, including New York City, Portland and Washington D.C., according to The Washington Post.

Protesters claimed that Trump is not their president because he did not win the popular vote. But our country is not a direct democracy; it is a federalist republic. This means that each state chooses electors, who in turn vote for the president. As it currently stands, Trump has 306 electoral votes while Clinton only has 232 votes.

Even though he clearly won the Electoral College, protesters still disavow the fact that Donald J. Trump is going to be our President. Some even go as far as to send death threats to members of the Electoral College, according to the Detroit News. “I’ve had people talk about shoving a gun in my mouth and blowing my brains out,” Mike Banerian, an elector from Michigan, said.

Meanwhile, the protests became criminal; 19 cars were vandalized and crowds armed with bats threw projectiles at police in Portland, protesters shut down Interstate 25 in Denver and in Oakland graffiti stating “Kill Trump” was found, according to USA Today and CNN. Violent protests do not change election outcomes after the voting period has closed.

Trump won. Get over it.

The fact that Trump won does not give him immunity from criticism. Americans are not only justified but obliged to hold their leaders to a very important standard: whether or not they uphold the Constitution.

Donald Trump has not been sworn into office yet. He has no ability to propose or enact legislation until he is President. Until January 20th, he is just an citizen with no power to violate the Constitution.

Nonetheless, why not give the guy a chance? He just got elected. Let Trump prove that “this will be a great time in the lives of ALL Americans”  as he tweeted. Let’s all join together and sing kumbaya in the hopes of a better America.