Tuesday night was the day people had been preparing for, talking about, and waiting for in months. Finally, at 2:30am, a new president-elect, the 45th president of the United States of America was announced: Mr. Donald Trump.
I wish I could say the response of uproar and riots following this announcement surprised me, but I cannot. People seem to have already written Donald Trump off as a horrible president, meanwhile he has yet to even take office. The anger towards Donald Trump seems to be about how he will rule as a racist, a sexist, and a homophobe; however, he has yet to take office so how can one make such a presumptuous assumption?
Now, I am not going to sit here and defend the things Mr. Trump has said throughout his campaign, because I do believe some of his comments were outrageous, condescending, and rooted in prejudice. However, I am going to tell you a little bit about who Mr. Trump is because actions will always speak louder than words.
Trump is not a racist. In 2008, when Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew were murdered, Donald Trump gave her, an African American woman, a place to stay for free saying that "she's a great girl and we're protecting her." In the 1990's, Trump opened a golf course, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach (a region known to discriminate against Jews and blacks) and insisted that his course be full inclusion. When he was met with resistance, he took the issue to the courts in which he won, and the Mar-a-Lago became the first full inclusion golf course in Palm Beach.
Trump does not hate immigrants. From the beginning, Trump has always supported legal immigration. He wants to let people into our country, but wants to do so legally. He has no intention to kick out illegal immigrants who have spent their lives here being contributing members of society, rather he plans to expedite their path to legalization. He states "when someone is terrific, we want them here."
He is not sexist. His female employees describe him as "a corporate executive ahead of his time in providing career advancement for women." He treats his female employees as equals, providing them with equal opportunities, equal treatment, and equal pay.
He supports the LGBTQA community. Although he may not personally agree with gay marriage, he supports and accepts it, which makes him the most forward and accepting member of the GOP in terms of gay rights. He states "as your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from violence and oppression."
He supports our veterans. Trump has been personally providing jobs to our military men and women for years, and helping them get accommodated/adjusted to society once returning from overseas. Donald Trump gave financial support to Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi, the soldier held in a Mexican jail for 214 days, after President Obama wouldn't even answer the phone.
He is selfless. In 2012, Trump donated $100,000 of his own money to a struggling Catholic Church that needed help keeping their youth programs afloat. After helping a couple when his limo broke down in NYC, a couple's mortgage was paid off by a thankful Donald Trump. The Wollman ice skating rink in NYC had been an unsuccessful waste of millions of dollars for years, until finally Donald Trump stepped in and offered to fix the problem--for free. Four months later, the rink was opened and the kids of the inner city finally had a place to go. In 2015, when commercial airlines wouldn't help a 3-year old Jewish child travel to seek the medical attention he needed, Trump offered his private plane without hesitation; as a parent, he knew that the parents would do anything possible to get the best treatment for their son.
This election was won by the hardworking, dedicated, honest candidate. Trump is not a career politician like Hillary Clinton is. He had no obligation to run for president and no stake in it. He did so because he wanted to make a change to a country he believes so strongly in. "I've been so lucky in this country," he says, "I want to give back to the country...that's all I want"
I understand the fear and I understand the disappointment from the left side, but I will never understand the riots, the destruction, the hurt being inflicted, and the burning of our great country's flag. This country is amazing in the opportunities it provides, in the freedoms it possess, and in the unity that it is built on. This is a time that we need to unite more than ever with one another, hand in hand, and enter the next fours years of our life with our new leader, President Donald Trump.
Mr. President, I know you will do great.
