An Open Letter to Donald Trump

Dear President-Elect Trump:

I believe you wish to be a popular president. This will be difficult for you, given the way the majority of Americans feel about you. After all, Clinton won the popular vote by 2 million people, and a not insignificant number chose third party candidates. But you do have something going for you — proven skills in playing to a crowd.

As someone who has provided strategy for many leading brands, let me suggest two things to you.

First, keep in mind that to be popular, you need to remember that your crowd has grown significantly. The person with the job of “President” is in the employ of every citizen. The tactics that you used to generate passion among your rally-goers won’t work for this much larger crowd, your employers.

Many of those that voted for you — and even of the larger crowd that didn’t vote for you — want to see changes in Washington and in the country. So you can still play to the crowd by working for change.

But many of the changes you suggested during your campaign would be extremely unpopular if actually enacted. The vast majority of Americans are simply not as prejudiced or sexist or anti-Obama as some of your most colorful rally-goers and endorsers. To play to your new crowd, you’ll need to reconsider many of the positions you staked out. And why not? You always claimed to be unpredictable. Most Americans would welcome you proving your unpredictability by not doing many of the things you said you’d do when you were whipping up your previous, smaller crowd.

Second: don’t trust your “inner circle” to help make you popular.

Christie, Guiliani, Ailes, and Bannon are utterly despised by the majority of Americans. None of them could have been elected to your position, especially if any of them had said or done some of the things you said and did which came to light during the campaign. It may feel good to be in their company, but don’t trust them to make you popular. As for your VP, unlike the four previously mentioned, Pence seems to be a principled and hardworking man of faith, but his actual positions on issues are very unpopular. If you want to be popular, don’t adopt them.

I did not vote for you, President-Elect Trump, and I am deeply disappointed that you won. But I pray that you’ll care enough about the American people to play to your new crowd. Be unpredictable, please.

Sincerely,

Robin D. Hafitz
Small Business Owner
New Yorker
Divinity School Student