I voted for Trump. Yes, you heard me. I voted for Trump. I'm not exactly proud of it, but I did it. I did not vote for him because I am xenophobic, misogynist, homophobic, racist, or anything else Trump has been called. I did it because I am a Republican. Contrary to current popular belief, not everyone that voted for Trump likes him, nor are they any of the things people call him. It has been about a week since Donald Trump surprised everyone by winning the 2016 election. What has occurred between then and now makes me sick.

Something that baffles me the most is the way Hillary supporters have been treating this situation. I keep seeing the hashtag #lovetrumpshate. If love trumps hate, why are some beating white people for voting for Trump? If love trumps hate, why are people saying that all Trump voters are xenophobic, misogynist, homophobic, and racist? If love trumps hate, why are people rioting and protesting in the streets and burning the American flag? It's ironic, isn't it?

I understand that people are upset, scared, and angry that someone like Trump will be running our country for the next four years. I do not condone the things that he has said in the past. I did not vote for Trump because I agree with what he says about everything and everyone. I voted for him because I believe he is better fit to run the country than Hillary. America needs to change the way our government is run and I believe Trump and the Republicans can do this.

Sure, I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this and people are going to disagree with me, but I have one request for you: respect. Respect people's opinions. Respect who they are as a person. Respect what they say and what they believe in. Have civil conversations, not arguments over social media. Don't yell at others or disrespect those that are different than you and your political views.

I am not proud to be an American today. I do not enjoy seeing America like this. We are better than this. We need to stand together and work to make things right. The president can't change people's views of racism. The president can't change how people think about minority groups. The president can't make you donate to charity. Only you can do all those things. You can change your views on racism. Only you can change the way you think of minority groups. Only you can do the right thing and donate to charity.

So we have an important task; we need to change our ways and we need to be kinder to people. We need to do our part to promote the common good. No matter who the president is, we all need to do our part to make the country a better place. What has been going on is not the way to do it. We are better than this America, so let's start acting like it. Hate did not win; hate is what you feel for those who do not have the same political views as you.