If you don’t love Trump, love your country

Listen, I don't love Trump. But I didn't love Hillary either. I voted Libertarian and in this blue state it didn't change any outcome when all 14 electoral votes went to Clinton and Trump didn't need them anyway. But waking up this morning and hearing people who despise Trump go on about how they didn't know there were this many stupid people in the country, about how he's going to ruin America, makes me need to say this:

If you don't love Trump, at least love your country and give him a chance. This was this will of the people. He won fair and square even if it boggles many minds. He is our president-elect. Period.

Love your country and give him a chance. I wrote a piece Tuesday morning before anyone knew the outcome and it was all about my belief that the country would endure whoever the president would turn out to be. You can still read that piece here (only the headline has been changed since the outcome became known early Wednesday morning).

It's hard for some women to put aside what he's said, and likely done. It's hard for Muslim Americans to trust him. It's hard for Mexicans to have faith in a president who insulted them and hard for blacks to back a president who told them their lives were so bad they had nothing to lose by voting for him. I get it. Yet in his acceptance speech last night he said the right things. He graciously said Hillary had worked "very hard over a long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country." He said, "Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people." He pledged to "every citizen of our land that I will be President for all Americans."

He said the right things. Give him a chance and see if he'll now do the right things. I understand your reproach for this man. I had this reproach for both candidates which is why my vote went to Johnson. But Donald Trump won a fair election and if you don't want the kind of dystopian nation you say you fear Trump will bring, then you have to do your part. You have to accept he is your president and embrace him with at least cautious optimism. Keep your eyes open. Challenge his administration if it gets dangerous. But accept he is your president and don't let the hateful rhetoric continue.

One other thing he said last night was that he needs your help. "For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country."

If that's not an olive branch then I don't know what is.