Will President-Elect Donald Trump heal the divisions in America?
By Roger Caldwell
The 2016 election is over, and Donald J. Trump is the 45th President of the United States. He will be the first president who is an unknown quantity because he has no political record or experience in a political office or capacity. As an enigma, he is a riddle who mobilized a movement in America that spoke to a forgotten segment of the country (White People).
President-Elect Trump is the voice of frustration from a White paradigm of voters, who believe that minorities are taking over the country. It starts with a Black president and ends with too many undocumented immigrants populating the country. After winning the election, Trump stated that he wants to be the president for all Americans, and it is time to heal the country.
There is a divide in America, and Donald Trump has an obligation to connect to those who believe he is a racist, a bigot, a misogynist, and a crook. As thousands of people have begun demonstrations around the country, America can’t pretend that it is not happening. With demonstrations in 12 cities around the country, it indicates that more lies will not bring peace to a fractured America.
Both candidates for president were flawed. In my opinion, the most flawed presidential candidate won the election. But, this does not mean that our collective faith and our sense of unity cannot calm the nation after a contentious and bruising campaign. The nature of politics is bloody, and during the 2016 political war, many negative and disrespectful things were repeated.
History dictates that once the political war is fought, there is a winner based on the Electoral College votes, and the loser concedes. President Obama said standing next to Vice President Joe Biden “Sometimes you lose an argument. Sometimes you lose an election. The path that this country has taken has never been a straight line.”
The test of any great nation is how people react after defeat. It is too late to demonstrate once your candidate has lost, because you decided not to vote.
The Republicans now will control Congress, the Senate, and the Executive Branch. This is an indictment on the Democrats who were too lazy to show up at the polling places and cast their ballot.
Donald Trump has run on a platform of change, and during his campaign, he argued that President Obama was one of the worst presidents in the history of the country. As Trump prepares to ascend to the highest and most powerful office in America, and around the globe, he should no longer be allowed to say the first thing that comes to his mind.
In the national media, the question is being asked “Will the president-elect get a Twitter doover?” Trump has his twitter account open again, and one of the first things he tweeted at 9:19 p.m., 10 Nov 2016 was “Just finished a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”
At 6:14 a.m., 11 Nov 2016, Trump tweets “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud.” Obviously, the second tweet is more positive and inclusive, and this time he gets a do-over. But as president, Trump needs to get it right the first time.
After winning the election, Trump praised Hillary Clinton and at the White House meeting, he acknowledged President Obama’s accomplishments and exemplar record. In order for Trump to heal America, he must stop and learn to control his [bipolar] tendencies. It’s easy to say you are the president for all Americans, but the execution is very hard.
Even though the president and president-elect have extended to each other an olive branch, America is extremely divided. A photo-op and a handshake will not change anything because it is not what you say, but it is what you do.
Be the first to comment