Dear America,

About three months ago, I wrote to you with the intent of offering my congratulations for your decision to reelect Donald Trump. Now that we are nearly four weeks into his second presidency, I have found myself unable to conjure up any semblance of empathy for those who voted for him. As I said in my original correspondence, it is incredibly irresponsible and dangerously ignorant to overlook the various harms that occurred during Trump’s first time in office.

How would you choose to allow someone with a history of severe political blunderings and shocking number of lies — over 30,000, as I recall telling you before — back into the highest position of national leadership. Perhaps it is because you take his words as gospel when they are truly sacrilegious, or maybe it was because Trump’s natural condition as a con man has duped you as well.

Some of your people, America, who entered into your polling places last year with a misguided hope for a “better” country that Trump promised you, are now realizing that their choice was a massive mistake. I am certain that more will follow once the executive orders he has signed fall into place, the legislation he influences passes through Congress, and his cabinet appointees begin to showcase exactly why he chose them in the first place.

So far, America, your president has proven that he has no interest in protecting the remnants of democracy that still persist in this country. Instead, you have given him the authority to dismantle, extinguish and replace even the most fundamental, grounding laws that have existed for ages. You have dutifully allowed for one of the world’s richest men, along with his sickeningly wealthy and corrupt allies, to recklessly experiment with the functions of this nation’s government, testing new ways to exploit societal and economic divisions.

Although the sudden flurry of executive orders and political grandstanding seems like an unorganized attempt at reversing and reshaping the policies of Trump’s liberal predecessor, it is actually the complete opposite. Everything you have seen Trump and his appointed advisors do so far, America, has been calculated and intently planned to be executed in one fell swoop.

Very few of your people will come out of the next four years unscathed by the effects of far-right authoritarianism, and what has happened thus far is just the beginning. Trump has rejected even the most fundamental rights of our land, such as birthright citizenship — guaranteed by the 14th Amendment — and will continue this campaign of reshaping our rights.

What’s more, he and his allies are working tirelessly to erase the existence of some of your most vulnerable, marginalized groups, America, people whose struggles have been historic and painful. You should be concerned that your president sees diversity as a weakness, dismisses the existence of transgender and non-binary citizens, and understands the legal status of hardworking people as a stain on this country’s reputation.

I am writing to you with a heart filled with sorrow from seeing how, as each day passes, you are experiencing a significant transformation, conforming to an executive plan that aims to exasperate inequity. Many critics of your new president and his administration may claim that the United States is going backwards in time, but I would argue against this. America, you have decided to hurry down the path toward far-right authoritarianism, pushing our society along to a new frontier — one laden with violence, oppression and pain that will be felt by many, if not most, of your citizens. Progress is not always pleasant, and what happens over the next four years will certainly have consequences that may be irreversible.

America, I do not seek your forgiveness, nor your permission, for what you may view as my harsh choice of words. I have not and will not waver in my critique of your conscious choice to elect a politician with clear aims of becoming a powerful despot. Maybe the second time around, when you see how much harm a government with all three of its branches controlled by politicians who are falling in line can do, will you begin to consider the repercussions of your decision. Perhaps when your basic civil liberties have eroded, when you feel emptiness in your pockets, and when you see an increased suffering within your community, will you begin to look inwards.

I hope I see you on that day, America, but you have given me little faith that it could come.

This article appeared in print on Page 13 of Vol. LIX Issue X, published Feb. 10, 2025.