dear, mr. president
Dear President Trump,
I know you are very busy right now, and I do not envy the stress you must be under. I can’t imagine that you slept at all last night! You are in my thoughts and prayers this morning.
President Trump, you have a hard job in front of you. Right now it looks like more people voted against you than for you. Either way, it is a fact that the country is very divided about the prospects of your presidency. While many celebrate, and many gloat concerning your victory, there are many who are afraid. Many immigrant families fear for their future and the future of their loved ones. Many Muslim families are afraid and concerned that there is not a place in your America for them. Many African Americans are afraid that you will not be a President for them, as you have used phrases and tactics with a legacy of racism in this country. Many women are afraid that your Presidency gives legitimacy to the misogyny that many have felt from your campaign.
Mr. President, I am everything the news says your voters are. I am white, I am male, I am an evangelical Christian, I am working class, I am not a college graduate, I live in a rural county in Georgia. But I have followed your campaign closely, and I have seen things that scare even me. I did not vote for you. In fact, I tried to do my small part to convince others that you were not the best candidate for the job. I didn’t think it was funny when the old tapes were released of you bragging about groping women. But I know a lot of people who did. And I know a lot of school children who think that a President Trump is one who thinks its funny to talk dirty about the girls in their class. I fear for the young girls in this country in the white working class rural schools where you are revered. Mr. Trump, on the night you were elected, I walked upstairs and found my wife in tears, afraid for the future of our country. I hope we are wrong about you.
I am a Christian, President Trump. And while you have said that you love the evangelicals, you love the Bible, and you are a ‘pro-life’ candidate, I don’t believe that you represent my Christian convictions. You have also said, “I love war.” I hate war, though, Mr. Trump. My Christian faith commands me to love my neighbor, and even love my enemy. I can never love war like you do. You do not represent my Christian conviction that as followers of the middle-eastern refugee named Jesus Christ, we must welcome the strangers who come to us from war-torn Syria. You want to turn them away, because many of your voters are afraid of them.
President Trump, you have been elected to be the next President of the United States. I will pray for you. If you truly plan to do some of the things you have said you will do, then I am afraid. I am afraid for the people who are not white, Christian males like me. But I am also afraid for the white Christian males like me. I am afraid that they will see you as a hero no matter what you do. I am afraid that they will not tolerate the voice of those who say that Trump’s America is not good for them. I am afraid that they will try and silence the voices who speak out against your policies. I am afraid that they will become so entangled in your allure that they become more Trumpian than Christian. I hope I’m wrong.
John Cody Gainous
I know you are very busy right now, and I do not envy the stress you must be under. I can’t imagine that you slept at all last night! You are in my thoughts and prayers this morning.
President Trump, you have a hard job in front of you. Right now it looks like more people voted against you than for you. Either way, it is a fact that the country is very divided about the prospects of your presidency. While many celebrate, and many gloat concerning your victory, there are many who are afraid. Many immigrant families fear for their future and the future of their loved ones. Many Muslim families are afraid and concerned that there is not a place in your America for them. Many African Americans are afraid that you will not be a President for them, as you have used phrases and tactics with a legacy of racism in this country. Many women are afraid that your Presidency gives legitimacy to the misogyny that many have felt from your campaign.
Mr. President, I am everything the news says your voters are. I am white, I am male, I am an evangelical Christian, I am working class, I am not a college graduate, I live in a rural county in Georgia. But I have followed your campaign closely, and I have seen things that scare even me. I did not vote for you. In fact, I tried to do my small part to convince others that you were not the best candidate for the job. I didn’t think it was funny when the old tapes were released of you bragging about groping women. But I know a lot of people who did. And I know a lot of school children who think that a President Trump is one who thinks its funny to talk dirty about the girls in their class. I fear for the young girls in this country in the white working class rural schools where you are revered. Mr. Trump, on the night you were elected, I walked upstairs and found my wife in tears, afraid for the future of our country. I hope we are wrong about you.
I am a Christian, President Trump. And while you have said that you love the evangelicals, you love the Bible, and you are a ‘pro-life’ candidate, I don’t believe that you represent my Christian convictions. You have also said, “I love war.” I hate war, though, Mr. Trump. My Christian faith commands me to love my neighbor, and even love my enemy. I can never love war like you do. You do not represent my Christian conviction that as followers of the middle-eastern refugee named Jesus Christ, we must welcome the strangers who come to us from war-torn Syria. You want to turn them away, because many of your voters are afraid of them.
President Trump, you have been elected to be the next President of the United States. I will pray for you. If you truly plan to do some of the things you have said you will do, then I am afraid. I am afraid for the people who are not white, Christian males like me. But I am also afraid for the white Christian males like me. I am afraid that they will see you as a hero no matter what you do. I am afraid that they will not tolerate the voice of those who say that Trump’s America is not good for them. I am afraid that they will try and silence the voices who speak out against your policies. I am afraid that they will become so entangled in your allure that they become more Trumpian than Christian. I hope I’m wrong.
John Cody Gainous