The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
Dear Mr. President:
I write to you today as one who opposed your candidacy and
spoke out against your rhetoric, proposals, and platform.
Though we have never met, I feel as though I know you. After
all, we both grew up in Queens and are in the same general age group. I wrote a
few months ago about the way good bull shitters are regarded in the New York
area. Having a “good line of bullshit” is not necessarily a bad thing. Surely
you realize, however, that many of our countrymen and women actually take you
at your word. When confronted with some of your more outrageous statements, and
I am paraphrasing here, Mike Pence replied “that’s Donald,” the implication
being to not always take you literally. Unfortunately for all of us, in your
current role, words matter more than ever.
You are quick to invoke the charge of “fake news” when something reported in the
media is not to your liking. And your attacks against specific news
organizations and reporters remind many of the way authoritarian leaders
suppress opposition in countries whose values are diametrically opposed to
historically American governance. You have the most compelling platform in the
world to offer your version of events and policies. But when your spokeswoman
suggests that your press secretary offered “alternative facts” the impression
is that you operate in an alternative universe. As the late New York Senator
Daniel Patrick Moynihan taught, “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but
not his own facts.”
You and your candidacy deepened divisions in our country and
coarsened the dialogue. Yes, we were deeply divided before you ran, but most
leaders try to bring people together. You had an opportunity to reach out to
those who opposed you throughout the inaugural weekend but chose instead a
combative stance that furthered division.
I will continue to oppose your positions and policies with
which I mostly disagree. You were elected by people who knew what you intended
to do as president. But it’s time to raise your game and recognize that great
leaders grow. Find a softer more humble pitch. Take aim at the hateful rhetoric
that some of your coalition delights in projecting. Tweet about that. You won
the election. Instead of attacking celebrities who challenge you—remember you
were an opposition celebrity before you became a politician—show some respect
for the opposition. That’s the only way you’ll earn the respect you want from
them and the millions of Americans who voted against you.
I will end by saying I don’t expect this letter to make much difference in the way you govern. For the sake of our great nation, I hope
I am wrong.
Thank you.
