"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

I’m reminded every day of this quote by Maya Angelou. It makes us feel better to look for the good in another person. I am sure it’s a human survival maneuver. We can rationalize deceptive or negative behavior because it is too mentally or emotionally cumbersome to label it as such. Women with abusive partners will say “at least he puts food on the table,” trying to find one redeeming quality.

This man has a history of lying, cheating, ignorance of global events and government, and overall disrespect for people. He has lied and changed his stories within the same sentence. Why should we believe him to be “presidential” or “diplomatic”? 

I don’t understand the voters' motivation to disregard all morals and values when selecting this man. Assuming the Republican agenda is your preference, there were a great number of candidates lined up for this position before Trump derailed the debates. What was it in Trump’s past performance and behavior that has given you confidence in his capability to handle this role?

“Trump is an outsider. He’s a businessman” Fine. We can accept that an outsider from the private sector could be an interesting mix. Carly Fiorina tried. If they wanted a businessperson, pull in Jeff Bezos from Amazon or Elon Musk from Tesla or even Mark Zuckerberg. Bring in a visionary who has a record of success and lifting others. Everyone who has worked with him reports negative experiences.

From my understanding of his background, he views all relationships as transactional. His marriages are not solid relationships and wives serve a purpose to enhance his image. I understand he outsourced parenting to nannies, boarding school and grandparents. His relationships with his children became stronger as when they became adults and could help his business.

He is not interested in making friends or appealing to people on a human level. He is driving this through psychological games and media manipulation. When an average person speaks with someone, we are generally polite and do not look to hurt them. His brazen outspokenness is just incomprehensible. I remember in the Republican debates he would shush and interrupt other candidates. I was floored because that would not be tolerated in the work space or any forum. High school debate teams learn proper decorum in addressing their opponents. 

He looks to impress with his wealth. His name is emblazoned in gold and extreme garishness is his trademark. I remember going to the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 1990 and being overwhelmed by the gold and sparkling chandeliers.  The Trump casino had the New Delhi Deli and the cocktail waitresses dressed like “I Dream of Jeannie” so they weren’t eager to be culturally authentic. On a side note, the real Taj Mahal in India is a mausoleum for the emperor and queen; it’s common error for people to assume it’s a palace due to the grandeur.

Coming together.

I feel like the country is married couple on the brink of divorce. Rather than working bring everyone together, Trump is having dinner with the gossipy neighbors, badmouthing everyone and looking for a match to light up the house, just because he can pocket something extra.

As Americans, we want the country to succeed. However, I don’t have faith this man will do it. In fact, I feel empathy for his supporters. They’ve felt they’ve ignored by the establishment. However, they voted against their own best interests. Giving money to rich people to “create jobs” does not usually work. They pocket it or try to avoid paying taxes. Increase the minimum wage. Get it into the hands of the common people. They’re not going to stash it in investments; they will be spending this money. It will be going back into the economy, almost like a stimulus.

Please don't ask us to "give him a chance" or succumb to blind acceptance.

This man has shown us he does not care. At the debates, Clinton called him out for rooting for the housing crisis, and he glibly replied “That’s called business.” 

Joe Biden had asked everyone to remember that this man’s trademark is “You’re fired.” 

Anyway, this is the situation. I still won’t accept him in this role that he does not deserve. However, my message is for the supporters who will eventually be betrayed by this man. It's only a matter of time that he will retract on all those promises.

Just know that the rest of us are here.