An open letter to President Trump

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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.