Trump’s damage to the Republican Party is very serious. However, Trump’s damage to our nation is far more egregious. His lies and vile rhetoric are meant to instill emotions of fear, anger, hatred, and are intended to incite violence. This is dividing our nation even further than during the George W. Bush Administration. He has selected a campaign staff with a single intention; to widen the gap even farther.
A perfect example occurred Friday while Trump was meeting with city leaders in Philadelphia.
A Black Lives Matter protest was in progress. Jerry Lambert, a 71-year-old white man says that he wandered into the middle of the peaceful march. He carried a sign which said on one side “Democrat for Trump,” and on the other “I Love Walls.” How he managed to “accidently” join the protestors is not clear. What is clear is that Asa Khalif attempted to rip the sign out of Lambert’s hands. The police witnessed the altercation, and immediately separated the two men.
“He assaulted me. He knocked me on the head,” Lambert said. “I have a First Amendment right to picket peacefully. He’s not peaceful. I’m a peaceful protestor.”
“I did not touch him!” Khalif told the police. “I touched the sign!”
Lt. John Stanford relayed that none of the officers on the scene saw anything that warranted an arrest.
This is what Trump is doing to our nation. If he does win in November, he would not be accepted by the majority of the American people, and that includes this writer. I cannot accept a president who does not believe in the Bill of Rights; all of it. I cannot accept a president who is totally unqualified to live in the White House. I cannot accept a president whose temperament is a danger to our nation and the world. Our nation would reach a level of division equal to the time of the Civil War.
Protests would occur daily in our major cities as a fascist becomes the leader of the free world. Make no mistake about it, Donald Trump is a 70-year-old man, and he cannot change. We have witnessed the real Trump when his speeches were unscripted, and he did not use a teleprompter. We would have a raving megalomaniac in the Oval Office.
Trump’s supporters are closet racists and bigots who now have a voice. This fact is more frightening for me than a Trump presidency. To know that we have millions of people in our nation who fail to believe in America and the future of its people is a danger to the very democratic republic founded by courageous and dedicated men who lived 240 years ago.
Personally, this has shattered my faith in our politics and our people. I never believed that I would experience a worse presidential candidate, or a more divisive person than George W. Bush. Trump is far worse. Not only has he divided our nation, his own party is divided because of his candidacy. This was not the case under Bush; he was only responsible for many families splitting apart, and friends becoming enemies. At least Bush had the support of the GOP.
If you are as opposed to Trump as I am, please re-post. Thank you.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Photo Courtesy of Gage Skidmore
Follow me on twitter: @jamesturnagenov
The Truth With No Restrictions 