Truth Be Told, Mr. Trump

Dear Donald Trump,
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I need to first and foremost begin by thanking you. I am a registered democrat from the great state of Pennsylvania and, admittedly, up until recently couldn’t have cared any less about politics. The reason I need to thank you is that due in large part to your campaign for president, I deemed it necessary to do my homework and educate myself. I delved further into not only each party’s platforms, but also each candidate’s. This began way back in the beginning of the primary season and continues on a daily basis. Not only do I need to thank you for sparking my newfound interest in politics, but also for helping me come to the revelation that the party I belong to and the candidate I support is, without question, perfectly aligned with my own personal beliefs and opinions. Fair warning: proceed with caution. That is, I assure you, the first and final compliment I have for you, Mr. Trump.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I am a twenty-three-year-old very recent college graduate who is in a bit of an awkward phase of life in which I barely have two nickels to rub together. I am by no means too proud to admit that my life, as it stands right now, is not quite where I want it to be… yet. However, Mr. Trump, in the midst of all this uncertainty about the next chapter of my life, I can’t help but notice that my view of the world is constantly evolving.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I’m of the age right now that I am starting to see the world in terms of how I want it to be for my future children. While that may not necessarily be in the foreseeable future just yet, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that within the span of the next four years, (the length of time of your would-be presidency) I could start a family. (Mom, if you’re reading this, don’t get your hopes up just yet. I’m just saying it could happen, maybe I should start with finding a boyfriend first!)
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, this election completely transcends any and all things related to any political party affiliations. My belonging to the democratic party aside, I have always prided myself on being able to see both sides of any, yes, ANY argument. There are obvious political disagreements on a variety of topics such as policies and platforms that neither side are ever going to fully agree upon, but I no longer have very much interest in these. Instead, Mr. Trump, you have turned this into a test of moral character, a test that I strongly suggest you get a tutor for.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, the third presidential debate you participated in on Wednesday night turned my stomach. The reason for my queasiness was due to the simple fact that in two of the three presidential debates, a decent amount of time was spent debating whether one of the nominees for the highest office on the face of the planet was a sexual predator or not. The fact that this was even called into question on a PRESIDENTIAL debate stage, (thanks to your own admission, let’s not forget) is one of the absolute most discouraging events I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I have a question for you, Mr. Trump. Is it too much to ask for to have a president for my future children that won’t make me feel the need to mute the television if they walk into the living room? God forbid they overhear your thoughts on women. Or Muslims. Or Latinos. Or African Americans. Or the disabled. Worst of all, let’s hope that heinous video of you and your buddy Billy Bush never graces their innocent little ears. On second thought, forget it. If you win the presidency, Mr. Trump, I’m just going to give up my television altogether. It’s not worth the risk.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I grew up playing basketball basically since the time I could walk. I would absolutely love to raise a little basketball player. Or maybe a doctor. Maybe my little mini-me’s will grow up to be astronauts- imagine those Christmas cards! Anything my children choose to do with their lives will make their momma proud, but above all else, my goal as a mother is going to be to raise good, kind people. Genuine kindness is beyond a shadow of a doubt the most important quality a human could possibly have, in my opinion. The world, as it is today, is already a tough place to nurture this all important attribute. I know this and I’m not even a parent yet. In your America, Mr. Trump, I just don’t see that struggle getting any easier. In fact, I can’t help but foresee the exact contrary. I want to make this statement in no uncertain terms: the reason I feel this way is because the only result I can see coming from a leader of the free world that can’t help but spew hate every time he opens his mouth, is simply more hate spewing.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I can’t help but choose to see the absolute best in people. Blame it on the way my saint of a mother chose to raise me, but it’s because of this that I choose to see the absolute best in my country. A country where I was able to be raised by my single mother with my adopted white sister and my adopted African American sister and be completely and utterly aloof to the fact that this wasn’t necessarily the “norm.” That was over twenty years ago and since then, our nation has made even more leaps and bounds in the name of progression. It terrifies me, Mr. Trump, that you threaten the very accepting and inclusive characteristics that make me so very proud to be a citizen of the greatest country on Earth. The idea that a Trump administration could very well undo all of the progress our country has made in the past decade or two sends a chill down my spine. The fact that I even had to bring this up shows that even just by running for the presidency, you’ve already brought out the ugly in this otherwise beautiful nation.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, if I am so lucky enough as to have a son, I pray he is a gentleman. I hope that my boy views his female counterparts as equals. I hope he thinks of them in terms of them being someone’s mother, sister or wife. I hope he cherishes women and never attempts to reduce them to something as one dimensional as a stupid number based solely off of physical appearance. I hope those disgusting, vile words that you so irresponsibly let seep out of your mouth never even cross his mind. He WILL understand that no means no and that a woman’s choice of clothing, her level of intoxication, or anything short of an explicit “yes” from a woman does NOT constitute as consent. I hope he stands up for the little guy and speaks up any and every time he sees an injustice. If you do get elected, he’s going to get nothing but exact polar opposite messages than the one he received from his mother his whole life. Not from a fellow classmate, or a teammate, but from the most powerful man in the world, someone he’s supposed to look up to and idolize. I hope he’s fearless, I hope he’s kind, and I hope he is nothing like you in any way, shape or form, Mr. Trump.
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, if I am so lucky enough as to have a daughter, I hope she is exactly like my mother. I hope she is strong, but gentle. I hope she is selfless and smart. I hope she is understanding, compassionate, and funny. I hope that she is independent enough to buy her own drinks but realizes if a man buys one for her, that is not a contract and she does not owe him a single thing. I hope that she never has the misfortune of crossing paths with men like you, Mr. Trump. However, I hope that should she ever find herself in such a situation, she understands that she has the power to say no. Furthermore, I hope she understands it’s NOT ok for anyone to not respect that, no matter who they are or how much of a ‘star’ they are. Above all else, Mr. Trump, I hope she fully understands that her worth simply cannot be placed on a scale because the only true measure of the beauty of a person is the way they treat people and the contents of their soul. I hope she is bossy, I hope she is kind, and I hope she never gets told by the president of the United States that she is a “nasty woman.”
         Truth be told, Mr. Trump, I want to make one thing VERY clear to anyone who may have stuck around long enough to make it to this last paragraph. By no means am I voting for Hillary Clinton because I am misinformed. Or even worse yet, because I am UNinformed. I know that both candidates running for this election are flawed. Hillary herself has admitted that she’s made mistakes. However, as a twenty-something future mother, I cannot in good conscious vote for you. It’s due to all of your moral... deficiencies that I am not only with her but truth be told, Mr. Trump, I am so passionately so.

I'd wish you luck, but I hope you lose in a landslide,

Maddie