President-Elect Trump,
I did not vote for you.
I had deep concerns about many of your platforms when running for office.
I don’t want to build a wall.
I don’t want to start mass deportations.
I don’t want to regulate immigration on the basis of religion.
I don’t want national stop and frisk.
I don’t want to cut the protection of a free press.
I don’t want more involvement in overseas conflict.
I don’t want women, minorities, and LGBTQ people to lose hard fought civil rights protections.
I don’t want people to lose health care insurance.
I don’t want sexual harassment to be acceptable.
I don’t want you to try to be a moral compass for me or my family.
I don’t think you’ll be able to meet any of the above concerns. This is why I didn’t vote for you.
Although I didn’t vote for you, I will give you the opportunity to win some limited support.
- I need a strong economy where I can keep working to support my family.
- I need a stable marketplace where I can afford housing, food, clothing, and make sensible investments for my family’s future.
- I need a healthy public education system for all children to learn, find opportunities, and become effective adults.
- I need affordable health care solutions, so when the unexpected happens, it doesn’t wipe out our finances.
- I need equal protection and treatment under law, or else none of what I work for is secure.
These five needs are what it would take for me to say you did a good job for me, but not for everyone. The first four were talking points in your own campaign. While not all encompassing, I think if you hit these five points, you will meet the needs of the vast majority of Americans.
I don’t encourage you to meet the needs of the majority at the expense of the minority.
I expect you to rise to the role of President in more than title.
I expect you to show compassion and help the poor.
I expect you to show respect to all Americans, even those who disagree with you.
I expect you to allow others their dignity.
I expect you to be in this for all the American people, and not just for yourself.
I hope you surprise me.
For the sake of all, I hope you prove me and everyone who did not vote for you wrong. I hope you will be a great President, that you will be a great leader for our country.
Congratulations on your election.
Sincerely,
Alex Cox, San Jose, CA
You Should Write a Book... 
I think I’ve followed the campaigns fairly closely, and I get where all your “I don’t want” objections come from save one:
“I don’t want more involvement in overseas conflict.”
Trump was widely criticized by everyone and his brother among the Republican elite because he wants less involvement in other country’s affairs. Why do you think his election signals more involvement?
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I don’t think this one is solely on him, but I think it will be an outcome of the combination of his election and the Congressional results. When he speaks about building our military back up, I ask to what end? We won’t have a strong military to sit doing nothing. That’s my concern.
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I’ve always thought that, if I didn’t want to fight, being the biggest kid on the block isn’t a bad way to keep anyone from messing with me.
More to the point, though, I think “keeping the military strong” is more a political concession than any desire to get us into a war. Part of Trump’s populist appear was that he had to appear into what the people were into, and rural America is very patriotic toward the military.
Really, I think this concern of yours isn’t particularly valid given the totality of what I’ve read and observed. Trump actually criticized Bush for going into Iraq. That’s not exactly a normal Republican position.
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The fun part is now we get to find out.
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