Dear Mr. President:

When you became a candidate in 2016, I rooted for you. I wasn’t pleased with your demeanor or with much of how you behaved, but I strongly opposed the other candidate and at that time, I thought you were the lesser of two evils.

Many things happened right off the bat. I completely lost any trust I may have had in the news media. That remains to this day. I got some giddy, delightful feelings when I saw how haggard and shell-shocked some of the news anchors looked on election night– especially Oprah’s best friend, whom I also am opposed to.  

I also started seeing that those of us who voted for you and agreed with the things you stood for were in danger of being ostracized.  Indeed, the few times I dared to post anything or say anything aloud in mixed company, I was attacked. It was a little surprising. Being a people-pleaser from way back, I decided to keep my opinions to myself.

You did a lot of great things. You brought jobs to many struggling families and improved things for several. Your long list of accomplishments will most likely not be spoken of by many, but I hope someday those accomplishments are recognized for history’s sake.

Mr. President, I’m sorry that your wife was not treated like other First Ladies, and I’m sorry that your family wasn’t celebrated like other First Families.  I’m sorry we didn’t get to see White House traditions and nice scenes from Washington involving you and your family. Other First Families have had the courtesy, haven’t they?

There are so many questions I have. Why were there people in place ready to pounce if you had gotten more votes in certain states? Yet, Mr. President, now that it looks like you didn’t get more votes in some states, the other side is chastising your bunch for their attitude. 

Why are we using the term “President-Elect” while things are still in limbo? After all, neither Mr. Gore nor Mr. Bush were called this in 2000 until a clear victor was named.  The media is not on your side. They want to speed this thing up and get you out of there.  

I have to say, I can see their point at times. But, I also see a lot of snakes and dishonest people on the other side of the fence. I don’t trust most of them, and I don’t like what they stand for. Although I love many people who are against you, I certainly don’t claim to see what they like about the other party.  And honestly, I don’t plan on getting into it with them, either.

With all due respect, Mr. President, I must tell you that most all of us wanted you to stop tweeting. We wanted you to get your point across without getting ugly or saying insulting things. We all wished you had just stuck to the things you wanted to change.

It was all right if you pointed out problems the other side had created, but you could have done it in a better way. Instead of bashing the candidates you ran against in the last election, you could have just pointed to the other side and said “Is this what you really want?” 

That would have been enough to get you more votes.

At times, Mr. President, you seemed narcissistic and like a bit of a blowhard.  People don’t like that.  Some folks, many folks, voted for you because they don’t care for the other candidate. I’m sure that happened in his case, too.  Some folks didn’t vote for you because of your behavior, which is unfortunate. Oh, how I wished you could have just stuck to the issues and how you would either change things, maintain them, and actually work to make things “great.”  

It is my hope, Mr. President, that the good things you did will not be undone. I am in hopes that the next four years, regardless of how this whole scenario plays out, are not spent in chaos, nastiness and divisiveness. Although the other side has blamed you for all the hate and nastiness that has been apparent the last four years, they certainly dished it out as much as anyone else did.

Now they want to preach unity and cooperation – even after all the underhanded things that went on. It’s going to be tough for many of us, Mr. President.

Pray for your country.

Mr. President, I feel that part of your legacy is going to be that many young, vibrant conservative folks are going to rise up. I feel there is much hope on the horizon and I think there are great things ahead. 

I do not think that a huge difference is going to be made if another person is in the White House for four years. I don’t think that our country is doomed.

I do hope we return to a country where we treat one another decently. I also hope that people who lead in the future do not lose sight of why they hold the office. 

I hope that those people are focused on the country and the citizens; not on themselves. I hope they don’t tweet or say unkind things, because the rest of us pay attention to the behavior of those who lead us. 

Character matters.