Dear President-Elect Trump,
I did not vote for you.
At rallies, you encouraged violence against those who did not support you. You mocked people with disabilities. You promoted and deepened a chasm between our Muslim and non-Muslim communities by playing on people’s fears. You made countless sexist and misogynistic remarks to and about women. You discredited the American people’s right to free speech and a free press (unless they were speaking or reporting in your favor). You set the stage for civil turmoil within our nation by promoting the conspiracy theory of a rigged election, should you lose.
In my opinion, these are not actions, qualities and characteristics of someone fit to run our country.
However, I am a woman and I am a journalist. By the precedents you’ve set during your campaign, therefore, my opinion does not matter very much to you. Your opinion of me is likely very low (unless you deem me a 7 or above, in which case you would probably enjoy looking at me without listening to or caring about what I have to say).
I am afraid of you. I have seen your hateful, bullying personality before. I have seen it firsthand. I have seen it nearly cost me the life of someone I love more than words can describe. He could not – would not – change. I hope you are different.
The people have spoken, however, and the democratic process has placed its faith in you. So too now must I. I have one request for my new president:
Don’t screw it up.
Don’t destroy this country. Don’t turn brother against brother simply because of his religious beliefs or the color of his skin. Don’t undo a century of progress that women have fought for, that some women have died for, in the pursuit of gender equality and women’s rights. Don’t let your temper and your ego get the better of you in sensitive situations, resulting in rash decisions that could have major and lasting impacts on this great nation.
My husband has already dedicated 13 years in the service of this great country and he still has years left before his duty is over. Do not spark an unneeded war with one of our enemies (or our allies) that will take my husband away from me and my children’s father away from them. He, just like the millions of other servicemen and women in our military, may be willing to lay down his life in defense of this country, but that is not a sacrifice I ever want to explain to our children.
I hope the power you now possess as leader of the free world humbles you. I hope you prove me wrong and that you lead this country into a peaceful and prosperous future. This country already is great; I hope you make it greater. I hope you unify our people, strengthen our foreign alliances and ease tensions with our enemies.
I hope we look back on November 8, 2016 as the beginning of something wonderful, rather than the beginning of the end.
And so now I must congratulate you on your victory. You did not have my support, but now you have my faith and my loyalty. Please do right by us.
Sincerely,
Michele Leivas
*Disclaimer: The opinions stated in this post are mine alone and do not reflect those of Pop Culture Cosmos, its writers or its editorial staff. – Michele Leivas
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