Dana Beyer: Dear President Trump
Dear President Trump,
We’re all aware that few expected you to win on Election Day. One could say that the only one more surprised than the rest of us is you. You haven’t prepared for the job, arguably the most important in the world. You’ve undertaken no efforts to divest, to put your business holdings, if any were viable, in a blind trust. You didn’t bone up on foreign or domestic policy, leaving that for the running mate. You’ve treated this leveraged buyout, hostile takeover as a reality show.
You have no qualifications for the job, as you’ve hardly read anything for the past sixty years. Your character hasn’t changed, as remarked by those who knew you in military school. You’ve no experience in government, working in coalitions, or building support for policy. You’ve never served your country, or given back anything to the system that allowed you to become a celebrity. You are a rupture in the history of presidential qualifications and the expectations of the citizenry the president is supposed to lead.
Given that you’ve now taken the celebrity culture as far as it can go, and given that there are tens of millions of people in this country alone who are counting on being able to continue to live their lives with an understanding of the rules they’ve played by throughout their lives, I respectfully ask that you resign your position.
All our intelligence agencies have seriously called your patriotism into question, as your actions and those of your advisers may very well amount to treason. You cannot escape the taint of that treason, just as Hillary could not escape the taint of corruption with which what’s left of the Republican Party saddled her beginning in 1992.
During the past seventy years, when the United States was much more united than today, this country struggled to become a more perfect union, and tens of millions of people found hope in being themselves and working to live to their full potential. Women, African-Americans, the LGBT community, immigrants from Latin America, Africa and Asia — all have worked to become a part of the tapestry of American society, just as your forebears did. They deserve the opportunity to continue their lives in peace and with hope.
Please spare us the coming constitutional crisis and global chaos. You won a dirty election, but you won. You’re an old man in poor shape — don’t push your luck. Take your cake and go home and enjoy it. Don’t struggle for the approbation of those, Democrats and Republicans alike, who are in on the con. You’ll never get it. Don’t destroy the work of millions to satisfy your own ego. If you do, you’ll soon find the pleasure is an empty one. Salvage the joy of your revenge, and save this country that helped you become the man you are today from a descent into hate and misery.
Dana Beyer, M.D.
Executive Director
Gender Rights Maryland
@DanaBeyerMD
Read more Letters to Trump:
- A. Cornelius Baker, Citizen
- Aisha C. Moodie-Mills, Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute
- Alexa Rodriguez, The Trans-Latina Coalition DMV
- Alicia Garza, Co-creator of the Black Lives Matter network
- André Hereford, Writer
- Ba’Naka, Duchess of Protocol
- Bernie Delia, Capital Pride Alliance, Inc.
- Cathy Renna, LGBTQ Activist
- Chris Allen, DC Log Cabin Republicans
- Clarence J. Fluker, Former Obama Appointee
- Danielle Moodie-Mills, Advocate, Writer and Strategist
- David Mariner, The DC Center
- David von Storch, President, UA Companies
- Emil de Cou, Pacific Northwest Ballet
- Eric Schaeffer, Signature Theatre
- Gil Steinlauf, Adas Israel Congregation
- Holly Goldmann, Capital Trans Pride
- Jeff Manabat, The Kinsey Sicks
- John Guggenmos, Small Business Owner
- Jose Carrasquillo, Freelance Theatre Director and Educator
- June Crenshaw, The Wanda Alston Foundation
- Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights
- Mark Pocan, U.S. Representative, Wisconsin
- Mike Daisey, Author and Working Artist
- Mitchell Gold, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Home Furnishings
- Nicholas F. Benton, The Falls Church News Press
- Rayceen Pendarvis, Emcee, Entertainer, Activist
- Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force
- Schuyler Bailar, First Men’s NCAA D1 Transgender Athlete
- Serge Seiden, Theater Maker
- Sterling Washington, Consultant, Musician
The opinions expressed in these letters are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations and this magazine, its staff and contributors.
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