I want to believe

It can’t be that bad.

Those are the words I wish I could believe. But I can’t.

Trump says he wants to be a dictator, that he wants to punish and incarcerate his opponents, that he wants to seek out “the enemy within” and destroy it. He says he is going to be the “protector of women, whether they like it or not,” and gloats that he was the one to end Roe vs Wade.

Those are the words his supporters heard, but they don’t believe them. They see them all as word games, stump speeches, chest thumping and showboating. “He didn’t really mean it,” is what they are saying after Tuesday’s election. “He loves our country and respects the office,” I was told by an acquaintance on Facebook.

I don’t believe that for a minute.

As Donald Trump prepares to head into his second presidency, he already has a playbook to follow, “Project 2025.” Written by too many individuals to list and covering every aspect of an ultra conservative plan to govern, Trump and his VP choice have both touted the ideology of the document in their speeches.

Yet Trump denies even knowing any of the architects behind it.

I don’t believe him. And neither should you, since some of the writers were members of his first cabinet, one was a former deputy chief of staff and more than 140 were part of his administration.

His handlers speak of wanting a smooth transition between the Biden administration and the new Trump regime. Trump knows how a smooth transition operates – he was on the receiving end when Barack Obama handed over the reins in 2017.

But when it was his turn to transition, Trump turned the Capitol into a bloody insurrection and refused to concede that he had lost the election. He still sings that sad song of a “fake election” today, four years later. When Joe Biden took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2021, Trump was nowhere to be seen. 

Now, his people say they want a smooth transition. Does this mean Trump has come to respect the office and the steps needed to change leadership? No, it only means that he will respect the steps and follow the rules when they benefit him.

I have many friends who are Republicans. I have had civilized and deep conversations with them over the years that have not led to bloodshed or hatred or termination of our relationships. I have never voted a straight party ticket, finding the need to support a good candidate or a good person, despite party affiliations.

That’s why I am so confused. Good people have supported Trump. They say they did because he, his party, his ideas or the policies of the other party warrant their vote.

But he is not a good person. He is not caring, not kind, not nice, not friendly. He mocks people, calls people names, shares uncomfortable stories and sexual retorts. He uses phrases and sayings that show prejudice and bias. He is uncouth and unpresidential.

Voters who support him and look the other way when he speaks and acts the way he does should ask themselves: “Is this a person I would allow alone in a room with my child, or my teenage daughter?” “Is this a man I would hand over personal information or control of my own finances?” If you took away his money, his power, his stardom and his position, “Is this a man I would be friends with?”

All the money and all the power in the world will never make Donald Trump a decent human being. But his supporters look the other way. What difference does it make if he is mean, vindictive, nasty and cunning, if the economy appears stronger, their gas is $1 a gallon cheaper and all those “horrible immigrants” are sent packing?

I don’t believe we will have a better country, even if gas and groceries are cheaper. I don’t believe he is going to work for the betterment of the American people. I do believe he is going to make large-scale decisions that could affect the checks and balances of government, and that he will implement laws that negatively affect the rights of women and minorities. 

I was raised to believe in doing things the right way, even if no one is looking. I cannot support a government that thinks the ends justify the means.

In the dark days of this November, I am having a hard time finding something good to believe in.

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