“Donald J. Trump will become the 45th President of the United States”
When those words were said, there were many mixed emotions. Many were rejoicing and celebrating President Elect Donald Trump, while others felt their world was crumbling down. As I go to a predominantly Republican based University, those rejoicing outnumbered the students in disbelief. I am not one to normally get on the topic of politics with friends (and even with family) but with accusations getting extreme and even hostile towards the US President and the fact that political implications are something I have to address more as I get older, I feel it is a good time to address why I should not be shamed or nervous about sharing my support for our current President.
To begin, I challenge you to take a second and think. I want you to find a president (or any elected official) that you have agreed on 100% with, of their policies and ideas they brought to our country. Take some time to do some research for thirty minutes or so, and try to find someone. You can’t. It is not realistic to completely 100% agree with someone. There are a few factors that play into the opinions we have and policies we believe in, age being one of them. Throughout our lives our tastes and interests evolve and change based on experiences and events that occur. If politicians are constantly being judged solely on the premise of their ideas, policies, and proposed legislation, and their consistent on those topics, are we not limiting the forward progress they can achieve during their term? We want to promote progress and innovation, not impose social limitations on their abilities.
The Democratic Party has been represented strongly in office the past eight years and since the beginning of 2017, the office has been through some turnover, favoring the Republican Party now. This has thrown many people into a spiral panic and lead to many US citizens deciding not to “claim” President Trump as their President, as well as blame him for many issues that are not his fault. For example, when a case of racism comes to the surface of news today, which had nothing to do with our President, many citizens would still draw lines to connect it back towards President Trump; sometimes with completely outrageous and unrealistic connections. However, when very similar cases occurred during Barack Obama’s term, he was never considered as a factor or to have any relation to the case. I am not saying he was a factor in cases, but no one would ever consider the President during Obama’s term to be at fault, but once Donald Trump stepped up to the role, the President is considered much more responsible.
Something many US citizens struggle with is our verbally confident President Trump is. He is not afraid to express his feelings, especially on the popular social media, Twitter. There is much hostility towards him on all platforms of media but specifically Twitter. (Don’t worry though, no one would dare say something negative about previous President, Barack Obama’s Twitter. When I see the comments left about President Trump from the opposing Party, it is very hateful, disrespectful, and hostile; none of which are necessary but many of which are soap-opera worthy. It has been more shameful than ever to talk about supporting President Trump and showing I am a part of the Republican Party. Reflecting on the past, I was more comfortable saying I supported the Republican Party when Obama was President than I am now because of the hate and blame towards our country’s leader and my political party.
As a US Citizen it is heartbreaking to watch such a divide grow within my country because of assumptions and accusations made of President Trump. Many accusations sprout of fake news and misleading information about Donald Trump. I am proud to stand and support him as my president and I no longer want to feel shame for doing so. I am fine with having different opinions than others, but I am not okay with feeling ashamed for my opinions and watching hate grow towards the nation’s leader in which we entrust our country’s security and future. I do not agree with every policy and idea of President Trump, but as we discovered earlier, it’s impossible too. Even though one may vote for a certain candidate, it does not mean they share the same qualities that are seen on said candidate nor do they fall under labels put on said candidate (bigot, racist, arrogant..). It simply means they recognize their capability and see that politician as a good fit to lead our nation for the next President’s term. I will continue to show respect towards my authorities and put my trust in how Mr. Trump will lead the United States; I encourage you to do the same.
As a side note, I don’t want to get anyone’s feathers in a bunch, but I do think our country needs to grow a little thicker skin. Happy fourth of July and God Bless America.