Dear Mr. Trump,
Tomorrow, I will be on a three-hour bus ride to Campania. This is the southern region of Italy on the Mediterranean coast that contains the city of Naples, the birthplace of pizza, and the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This southern region is more than just beauty and good food. It has a deep history of poverty and exploitation by the local and federal government. Southern Italians were, and quite possibly still are, suspicious of the government. This is why the people of Naples supported Benito Mussolini, and why people are supporting you.
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Two years ago, I was able to go to Germany and see the Dachau concentration camp. This is a physical reminder of the atrocities that can be committed with a leader who appeals to those feeling cheated by their government. They needed someone to blame their problems on. They needed nationalism. They needed a person who could make Germany "great again." They needed a veteran and art school reject from Vienna. Now, those who feel cheated and need an enemy and nationalism need a draft dodging, tax-evading businessman who wants to grab America by the pussy.
When you first decided to run for President, I thought it was a joke. As time went on, I got increasingly scared of not only the xenophobic and ableist rhetoric you screamed at your rallies, but also the number of followers that were more than willing to commit acts of violence against those protesting. They follow you blindly. They chant to build a wall. They chant to lock Hillary up, even though she's been found innocent in multiple investigations. They look to you for leadership. What are they getting?
This is where I would call you unqualified and a complete ass. This is where I would tell you that I cannot support or respect you, and refuse to do so. This is where I condemn your followers, dismissing them as morons who are too selfish to care about the welfare of our country. Who are inherently racist, because racism wasn't a deal breaker. Who are sexist, because blatant misogyny and sexual assault didn't matter. Who are ableist, because you have famously (or rather, infamously) mocked a disabled reporter. Who are hypocrites, because they chant for Hillary to go to jail, but don't think sexual assault, tax evasion, fraud, encouraging violence, and possible treason are perfectly okay. Who don't care for the environment, because you decided that science doesn't apply to you.
Yes, this is where the supporters hiding on Facebook or Twitter come out of the woodwork to call me a "libtard," "entitled," or a "snowflake." To those people, I want to say that that is your opinion. Feel free to think I'm stupid. Feel free to think I'm entitled. Feel free to think I am a "snowflake" in desperate need of a "safe space." The beautiful thing about America is that we are all free to have these opinions. However, that means that the people who disagree with you also get to share their opinions. This is also where the supporters will tell me to "get over it," even though most of them proudly own something with the Confederate flag on it.
Mr. Trump, you are the President of the United States. I doubt that I will be able to change that single-handedly, though I would very much like to try. The truth is, Mr. Trump, I am genuinely scared of what the next four years will hold for me and the people that I love. Many of my family members are at risk of losing their health insurance because of pre-existing conditions, and this is something that will happen to more than just them. Healthcare and people's lives should not be for profit.
I am scared that our Muslim brothers and sisters will be registered and placed into internment camps, like our Japanese, German, and Italian brothers and sisters were during World War II.
I am scared that anti-Semitism will come to a head, and my boyfriend will be affected.
I am scared of the fall out from other nations in the Middle East, and I am scared that we will become Russia's puppet state.
I am scared that my LGBTQ+ friends will deal with homophobia and transphobia.
I am scared that treatment for mental illness will become more stigmatized.
This is why I am writing to you, President-Elect Trump. You are our President-Elect, and I can't change that myself. Our country is not a company. Your people are putting their trust into you. You can either engage in the selfish acts of the Republican Congress, or you can make a positive difference in our lives. You made promises to the poor, uneducated white people of this country, who need to get well-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and a government that they know they can trust. It is up to you, Mr. Trump, to fulfill those promises. (I won't touch on the "drain the swamp" promise you have already gone back on.)
In closing, Mr. Trump, I cannot respect you. I cannot, in good conscience, support you and I will never, ever refer to you as my president. You may be the president, but you will not be my president. We will rise up. We will fight for our country back. Just as it is our duty to fight fascism, it is your duty to at least try to make this country great in the sense that everyone will have equal rights, health care, opportunity, and the ability to exist without fear.
Rise up.
Signed,
A concerned American
