Writer’s Note: Before you assume I am bashing Trump and start writing negative comments (which why go out of the way and spread hate?), I accept that he has won the election. I know he cannot do all the things he said at the drop of a hat, but all the hatred in this country compelled me to write my opinion (and you have the right to share yours too and I happily accept your opinion even if I disagree).
Dear Donald Trump,
When I woke up in the middle of the night at 2 a.m., I felt my heart drop. After following live coverage of election night, after taking the time to go out and vote for the first presidential election in my life, I see the results that “Donald Trump has won the presidency.” I couldn’t fall back to sleep; my mind was running and I felt like I was carrying a heavy weight on my chest.
If a real republican candidate had been chosen earlier for nomination, my fears and worries would have been less. Even though I personally lean more democrat, I can respect a fair election between two competent competitors. If Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush or any republican had run, this election would have been less horrifying, and I would respect the results regardless of who won. Instead, this election pulled people apart and really showed the true ugly personalities of a lot of people. Instead, this election become a TV show rather than an actual election. As Hillary Clinton and other competitors in previous debates used rhetoric and persuasion, you spewed loose accusations about how you want to “make America great again.” Define “great.”
In this open letter, I want to thank you for what your election means.
Thank you for saying that women don’t matter. You can “grab us by the pussies” because women like that, and we don’t face sexual violence. You can subject us to sexist beauty pageants and objectify women and call us “fat pigs” when you don’t like us. You can take away women’s access to reproductive health (don’t complain when people have kids when they didn’t want them, and then suddenly they’re “sucking up the system through free handouts like welfare!”). Planned Parenthood will probably be defunded in your term because the common belief is that Planned Parenthood is 1) the abortion capital and 2) problematic because it’s a free handout. Planned Parenthood does not provide abortions, and is a resource for family planning. They help provide education and materials so that people do not have unwanted pregnancies. They help women have access to reproductive health. When you eliminate ObamaCare, people like me who need birth control to have a healthy normal menstrual cycle will now have to pay out of pocket. Women who use these resources to get information and access to health will be left with nothing to help them. Even in this election, the entire election favored you because you are a man. You had scandals and problematic statements, yet no one held this against you when it came to actually voting. Clinton, who had controversy around her as well, has 30+ years of experience in politics, yet she was hurled criticism after criticism for everything and people kept this in mind when they voted.
Thank you for saying people of color do not matter. In a time when racial tensions are still high in this country, you propose to bring “law and order” to this country. With African Americans dying daily from police brutality, you still see the “thug” stereotype rather than the AWOL police officer. I respect the police, I do not lump them all into one “bad cop” category, but we need to address the few that are abusing their powers. You choose to see it as citizens who have gotten out of hand, and the police need to do whatever they can to stop them.
You say you will stop ISIS by any means necessary. With the fear of terrorists being everywhere, people of the Muslim faith already faced persecution before your election, but it will get worse. You refuse to let in anyone from a country that is “riddled with terrorists.” You act like foreign policy is not an option, and that you have the right to fire nukes as Commander in Chief to be. Once again, you adhere to a stereotype that all middle eastern people are terrorists. You deny them solely based on fear and hatred. You spew hatred about terrorism towards the Middle East, but you’re not a terrorist for yelling hatred and threatening other countries.
You propose to “build a wall” to keep Mexicans out. What happened to letting people achieve the American Dream? As someone who is the son of an immigrant, what if your father had never been given a chance and forcibly denied any entry to this country? You wouldn’t be where you are right now. You claim that Mexicans are “stealing” our jobs. Did you ever think maybe there’s a problem with the people who HIRE them? And what are they “stealing” anyway? Farm jobs, janitorial jobs, menial labor for LESS than minimum wage. They’re “stealing” jobs that Americans don’t want for less money than anyone can live on. You say they’re bringing in drugs (when drugs actually come from all over the world and domestically), yet we don’t address the drug problem in this country? We don’t address how millions are opioid addicts, stemming from prescription pill abuse, and then turn to heroin. Why point fingers when we could address the real roots of the issues?
Thank you for saying the LGBTQIA community does not matter. After the historic landmark decision to allow gay marriage, you will probably overturn that. After the Pulse nightclub shooting this year, the largest massacre (especially for this community) in U.S. history, the LGBTQIA doesn’t need another massacre by your hate speech. The LGBTQIA community faces violence daily and with your words, more violence will likely come. Especially when you put no restrictions on guns.
Thank you for saying lower and middle class people do not matter. As a billionaire, you really understand a middle class family of four that struggles to keep their small business open and keep their kids in school. You understand what it’s like be a single mother living on minimum wage. You understand what it’s like to be elderly and struggle to afford medications that help you stay alive and well. You know who has it rough? Big corporations, especially with all those tax cuts. Who needs the Affordable Health Care Act to help people have the basic human right to live healthy? Why help our future receive a quality education at lower prices when we could treat education like a private business? “Free handouts” are what’s destroying this country, right?
Gun control. Bye.
Marriage equality. Bye.
Climate change reform. Bye.
Woman's right to choose. Bye.
Criminal justice reform. Bye.— Këv (@lemonpepperkev) November 9, 2016
Thank you for saying that white males, especially in the upper class, are the only people that do matter.
My advice for people like me, disheartened by this “victory:” Stay strong. Support each other. Love WILL trump hate. Channel your energy into something productive. Fight for what is right.
My advice for people who don’t understand why Trump’s victory is hard for a lot of us: Open your mind for one second. Think of someone in your life who might be heavily affected by this, anyone. Some people are terrified to go outside, some fear the hatred and racism they will face, some fear they will be deported solely based on their race. Some are scared for their futures. Yes, you might not have liked Obama for whatever reason, but Trump was the not the next best solution.
Agree to disagree, I wanted to voice the concerns that I, and thousands of people, are worried about after this historic election. I know writing this will not change anything, but I want people to consider the impact a Trump presidency will have, and how the things he has said and done have fueled the mindsets of millions of Americans.
