It was November ninth, 2016. The sky turned dark and rain fell somberly in northeastern Pennsylvania. It was the day Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. I know that in the future this moment will be in the history books. As I learn about monumental events such as slavery, World Wars I and II, and presidential assassinations—all of which in my lifetime seem like unreal, faraway stories—my descendants will sit in class and learn of the time a businessman turned reality television star became president without any previous experience of running for office. When Donald Trump announced he was running for president, I thought it was a joke. I didn’t expect anything to become of it. Then somehow on November ninth I woke to the shocking news that Donald Trump won in the Electoral College and was going to be the first president to take office during my adulthood. Since I must face the reality, I ask you, Mr. Trump: what do you mean by “Make America Great Again”? You imply that America is not great and that the only way to become so “again” is to revert back to our old ways. What, Mr. Trump, is so great about how America used to be? In recent decades, America has welcomed its diversity and made great advances against discrimination in all areas. History teaches us of how far America has come and of the greatness we have achieved by abandoning many of our old ways. Mr. Trump, please be careful how you define greatness and please learn from our country’s mistakes; take heed not to make them again.
I am a Christian, and though my religion is not often targeted, I am angered when others don’t treat every religion with the equality and respect which each deserve. I value freedom of religion. To hear America challenge this value disturbs me, but to hear the future president of my country do so is unacceptable. After confirming the following statement: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what . . . is going on,” President-elect Trump stated that it was “common sense and we have to do it” and that “we have no choice.” Moral, upstanding citizens of the United States of America always have a choice. In his scenario, the people who would not have a choice would be Muslims. Mr. Trump, when you said you would “Make America Great Again” did you mean by once again allowing our fears to give way to prejudice?
During World War II, America was so terrified of Japan that Japanese Americans were targeted and blamed for offenses which were not theirs. They were put into internment camps because the government feared they might be the enemy. ISIS and those who terrorize our nation are the one to fear and target. Attacking those who have caused no harm out of fear and mistrust only breeds more fear and hatred. I am not oblivious to the threat that terrorist groups pose, and I am afraid of them, but I can still recognize that these terrorist groups are dangerous because the people within them are malicious human beings, not because they are Muslims.
Preventing people from entering the nation based solely upon their religion would jeopardize America’s Bill of Rights; it would jeopardize the first amendment which protects some of our most basic rights as human beings. While Mr. Trump has freedom of speech, he has no right to threaten freedom of religion. Donald Trump defends the right to bear arms because it is a right given to us in the Bill of Rights, yet he has the audacity to threaten other rights. What should be “common sense” is upholding these rights—upholding the freedom for each of us to choose what we believe in. Whether or not he can do the absurd things he said he would like to do, he is still showing the whole world what he stands for as well as falsely representing America as a nation. Although actions speak louder than words, the world will not forget the words of our future president. People will not forget the way their leader openly express his negative feeling towards them.
I am Caucasian and not of a minority race, but I cannot stand back and watch others with minority heritage be treated unfairly. Although I was born an American citizen because of my father, I was not born in the United States. Imagine I was born during the time of Donald Trump’s election campaign when he has made various promises on strict immigration laws. I can understand the fears of people living in other countries, wishing to come to America but hesitant to do so under the Trump presidency. If I had not been born in Europe, I might also fear that my future president has prejudice against me. When speaking about Mexico, Trump once said, “They are not our friend . . . They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” To speak of Mexicans with such negative generalizations goes against everything our nation stands for. In 2008, the first African American was elected to be president of the United States. This is a huge achievement for our nation, one which the slaves and minorities of our past never could have imagined. President Obama and Michelle Obama made tremendous strides towards a nation changed for the better. Yet Donald Trump openly accused President Obama of not being born in America. He demanded that he show his birth certificate to prove he was not born in Kenya, but did Trump do the same when George W. Bush was elected president? He did not. Decades ago Mr. Trump was sued for deliberately not renting apartments to African Americans. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the KKK supports him. Mr. Trump, what do you mean by “Make America Great Again”? Perhaps you are referring to the racism in our history of slavery, segregation, discrimination against Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians, among others. In recent years, we have taken a leap forward in ways the old America would never have imagined, and I hope that your presidency does not push us back.
Although I am neither Muslim nor of a minority race and am not personally threatened by Donald Trump’s shameful comments against these groups, I am a woman and am directly affected by the sexism of people like him. He insists that “no one has more respect for women” than he does, but he’s suggested otherwise on more than one occasion. He has made numerous inappropriate, often sexual, remarks about women in a professional setting which are troubling. Most of us know about his “boys locker room talk” which I find too crude to reference directly. He has suppressed female ability to excel in the workplace and has challenged the role of women. On one occasion Trump said directly to a woman interviewing him, “The look obviously matters. Like, you wouldn’t have your job if you weren’t beautiful.” Yet he has never said to a male interviewer that he can only have his job if he’s attractive. Donald Trump has never questioned whether or not men should work either, “I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing . . . during this period of time she [his ex-wife] became an executive, not a wife . . . When I come home and dinner’s not ready, I go through the roof.” I am in college working hard right now so that in the near future I will have a successful career and can support myself. Yet, one day I do hope to be married and have a family. I want to be able to work and contribute to supporting my family. I can successfully be a working woman, a wife, and a mother without giving up any of those privileges. If I had a husband who devalued me for my rise and dedication in my profession, I would not see him as fit to be my husband. If I were married to a man who define my duty as a wife in terms of serving him, then it’s not me who has failed as a wife; it’s he who has failed as a husband.
This is 2016, and I demand to be treated with the respect and equality that each gender—and each human—deserves. So, Mr. Trump, when you said, “Make America Great Again,” were you referring to the time when women were routinely treated as the lesser sex? Were you referring to the time when a woman’s expected role in life was as a devoted, obedient housewife? As the President of the United States, you must realize that we are far beyond that regrettable stereotype. A woman does not exist to please men. One day when I was at work and business was slow, I started working on a list of items which needed to be cleaned. I had been scrubbing the muddied red stepping stool when a customer arrived. My coworker went to the kitchen to begin making his meal, and as she disappeared, this old man said to me, “She’ll make a good wife someday. She already knows how to cook a man his food. This job is good for you girls; you’re learning how to cook and clean and please your husbands.” Yet a woman does not exist to please men. Mr. Trump, with personal experience I have learned that you are not the only sexist person in America. However, as a president, displaying these views tells American citizens and the world that you condone sexism. Your sexist remarks against women disgust me, and I hope that as my leader you refrain from them or I cannot give you the respect which you deny me.
I must ask you, Mr. Trump, who do you want to make America “great” for? I hope that your answer is not only for the affluent, white, straight, Christian men. If we are to “Make America Great Again” I hope it is in recognition of the freedoms which we have given to this great nation’s many diverse people throughout history. What a person says reveals his beliefs and ideas, which reflects his character. I’ve not so far been impressed with the moral integrity of your words, Mr. Trump, but as our leader you will have the possibility to improve your character with your actions in office. I have every hope for your success, and I have every intention to be respectful whether or not I agree with your policies. Yet I am warning you not to criticize people because they are different from you, nor for harmless traits which make them who they are. I am watching, the world is watching, and God is watching—and He judges only morality.