United States: The Power of the Presidency


Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017. 

The majority of American citizens did not vote for Donald Trump; nevertheless, he is our president. He is our president because the Electoral College (which, at the very least, needs tweaking; or, in the opinion of many, needs to be abolished) awarded Trump 304 of its 538 votes.

Donald Trump Takes Oath of Office
Like many Americans, I boycotted the inauguration of President Trump. I did not go to Washington, DC. I turned my televisions to stations that did not broadcast the inauguration.

I chose to peacefully protest the installation of a man who was not elected by the people to the highest office of the land. I chose not to watch a man, who bragged about sexually assaulting women and who talks about women as if they are objects, as he was being installed as the President of the United States.  I chose to boycott a man who demeans and bullies American citizens who dare disagree with him. I chose to boycott a man who has so little knowledge of the history of this country and his countrymen that he has insulted John McCain, a Gold Star family, and John Lewis. Not only did he insult them, he has refused to apologize or reach out to these national heroes.  It should be noted that after insulting John Lewis, Trump invited Steve Harvey and Martin Luther King, III to Trump Tower, which seems to me to indicate that Trump thinks Black people are interchangeable. So, I chose to boycott Trump’s inauguration. I chose to boycott a man who seems to be intent on destroying our free press. I chose to boycott a serial adulterer, who tried to humiliate Hillary Clinton for being the wife of one man. I chose to boycott the installation to office of a man whose election was, reportedly, aided by a foreign power. I chose to boycott the installation of Donald Trump to the position of Commander-In-Chief; because Trump, according to all reports,  does not pay any taxes to support our military nor our veterans.

But, Donald Trump is the President of the United States. So, I listened to a tape of the inaugural address. During that address, President Trump proclaimed that he is going to “return the power to the people.”

Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address

As the protesters have taken to the streets today, January 21, 2017, the people are sending President Trump (as well as those legislators who sought, through gerrymandering, to dilute the power of the people) a message. President Trump,  “we the people” did not give you our power and you do not have a mandate. We have a voice, and we are going to continue using it. You need to listen to us, because we will not be quiet.

America Ferrera Speaks at Women’s March
Women’s March on Washington, DC
Ashley Judd’s Speech to Women’s March

John Lewis Speaks Out in Atlanta

This is only the beginning! People, who are not legitimately represented by those who seek to govern them, will continue to rise up. We respect the Office of the President.  However, the President must earn our respect.

Just Picture It

Just picture it: Donald Trump in the White House raiding the treasury, while the Snow Queen intones in one of her many languages, “Let them eat cake.”

melania-trump-anderson-cooper

Melania Trump on CNN

This picture has been trapped in my brain since last night when I watched Melania Trump sit down for an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper to defend her husband’s “boy talk.”

My initial reaction to the Melania Trump interview was one of understanding. I was married for thirty (30) years. A marriage that produced two wonderful children, before imploding and exploding in divorce court. I understand what a wife will do to support her husband, what a mother will do to protect her child, what a woman will do to protect her family.

Melania is doing what she thinks is best for her son, herself & her husband, just as Hilary did many years ago. In the end, Bill was impeached. (Here, I could try to explain the difference between Bill Clinton’s behavior and the behavior that Donald Trump bragged about while on the bus with Billy Bush; but, deep down, I think that even ardent Trump defenders know the difference.) So, it appears to me that if Trump is elected president, the country will go through impeachment proceedings again. All because Donald Trump admitted that he, habitually, assaults women; and, according to his words, he will not be able to stop himself from doing it again. Also, once the genie is out of the box, you cannot put it back. The investigation and digging will not stop simply because Melania Trump said her husband is a “gentleman.”

So, while those in the Trump camp tell us that Melania is a private person who did not ask for nor expect to be in the spotlight, and who does not deserve public scrutiny; her marital struggles are no longer private struggles. Perhaps, if Melania had followed the Pat Nixon model (stand silently, stoically by one’s husband) rather than a variation of the Hillary Clinton model, she and her son could expect to weather the storm in private. But, Melanie chose to take a more modern approach in trying to protect her family. Unfortunately, she is at war with the wrong enemies. As I see it the enemies are not the outsiders — the left-wing media, the Clintons, nor those forward women who slip their telephone numbers to Donald right in front of her. It appears, based on Donald Trump’s words, that the enemy is Donald Trump.

The video of Donald engaging in “boy talk” with Billy Bush of Access Hollywood and, more recently, The Today Show (from which he was fired for participating in “boy talk”) can be found here.

After a good night’s sleep, my view of the Melania Trump interview has changed, somewhat.

Now that I’ve slept on it, I wonder if it took Melania Trump so long to come forward in support of her husband because she was busy memorizing the “speech” that she wrote herself, much like the speech she delivered at the Republican National Convention. Perhaps, like many Miss Universe contestants, Melania Trump is an aspiring actress. Last night, it appeared as if she was reading for the role of First Lady of the United States. Last night, Mrs. Trump told us that if we select her as the next First Lady of the United States; she will work to protect our children from the evils of the internet. Perhaps, she could start by forbidding one of the “boys” in her household from tweeting when he should be sleeping.

I cannot wait to see what SNL does with the Snow Queen, whose nudie pictures are “art work” and whose husband (at age 59) was egged on to engage in “boy talk” with Billy Bush.