As I watched the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States I could not help myself from feeling conflicted. The black and white subtitles supplied by the university television communicated a monologue that seemed almost professional and something I would have genuinely expected from an incoming President. It was truly an incomparable level of professionally from infamous “Ratings Machine DJT”. I considered it possible that perhaps I was finally witnessing the transformation of a man who, for so long, seemed incapable of communicating beyond the level of an angry fifth grader which had the reading comprehension of a third grader. I felt, for a moment ,hopeful that Donald J. Trump, and a Republican controlled congress would be able to control themselves from ripping the country apart in the name of conservatism.
The moment of bliss was, unfortunately, short lived. It is common knowledge that nearly all Presidents, and Presidential Elects, shamelessly utilize speechwriters, I have no reason to believe that Donald Trump did not follow this tradition in succession. Of course I say this in direct contrast to the social media post that displays Trump “writing” his own speech. I’m afraid the only thing that this halfhearted attempt convinced me of is that there is not a single photo taken of "The Donald" within the last two years in which he does not look like an absolute cretin. One would need eyes as blank and unseeing as the Don’s in that photo to avoid noticing just how strange this piece of propaganda is.
To clarify, I, by no means, believe that the use of a speech writer is a deplorable decision. But it surely meant that the noticeable change in Donald’s disposition is to be attributed to someone else. The man who, a mere three weeks ago, could not help but defend himself on Twitter from Meryl Streep stands in stark opposition to the man who stood in the capital today and spoke of “Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation…”. The dichotomy is simply too jarring.
By now my bias is clear. I am not a fan, nor a supporter, of Donald Trump. Yet, at the end of 1,460 consecutive days Trump will be President of the United States and Leader of the Free World, and those who have vehemently opposed him are left in a difficult position. As a citizen of the United States I sometimes feel it my minimal civic duty to wish for the best in both our government, and our future. I suppose I should not wish for the absolute downfall of a Trump presidency simply so I can explain to his spiteful supporters that I had no part in this avoidable disaster.
Despite this I find myself unable to lend my full support to the new President. I cannot forget the purposefully polarizing, sometimes xenophobic, and patriarchal speech that has helped him ascent to power. I believe that Donald Trump intentionally preyed on the fear and anger stored up within a generation of Americans to the point where they were convinced his leadership was the only solution. If Donald Trump achieves success while in the White House I, simply as a U.S. citizen, will also benefit from the cause. If he fails, particularly in fields such as foreign policy and national healthcare, then I will also partake in this failure.
This election has brought negative feelings to the surface within many American citizen. Nevertheless, we must remain open-minded and considerate of those who harbor opposing views, if only for the hope that the same respect will be repaid to you. There are some Trump supporters which I personally know and consider intelligent and respectable people. I hope the United States finds peaceful and respectable solutions on how to manage the southern border and the displaced Muslim refugees. I hope women across the country rally around the issues that this controversial Presidents has sparked and find themselves working toward the common cause of equality. Most of all I hope that our country has been left in good hands with Donald Trump, and that the artificial temperament which I saw today is one that will be continued throughout his term.
