Dear President-Elect Trump:
Congratulations on winning the presidential Election!
To be honest, I was among the many Americans who were frustrated with the choice between you and Clinton. Neither one of you gave me great hope. Nevertheless, before the election, I made some commitments to the winning candidate. I want you to know that I intend to keep them. I will talk to you (if I ever get the chance) and about you respectfully. I will pray for you. And though I had doubts about you and your qualifications, I will accept you as my president and I will hope and pray and expect the best from you. When I disagree–which is my right as a citizen–I will do so respectfully.
But since our nation right now appears to be divided and angry (and even frightened), I do have some suggestions that I believe will help move our nation toward unity. I respectfully suggest the following courses of action:
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Please distance yourself, immediately and completely, from all hate groups, white-supremacy groups, and racist politicians. Because some of these groups supported you, there are questions about where you stand. Distancing yourself from these groups will make it much more likely that you will be a successful president.
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Be open and honest and transparent about all of your business interests, and make it clear that you have no conflicts of interests. Release your tax returns. Put your assets into a blind trust so that we can trust that your actions as president are unrelated to your business interests.
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Put together a diverse and well-qualified cabinet and group of advisors that includes many women and members of minority groups. Though it is typical to select members of your own party, there are many fine people across the aisle with talent and dedication. It would go a long way toward a spirit of unity if you would appoint a few Democrats to work on your team.
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Refuse to be petty and vindictive. You have a reputation for getting even with those who offend you. I don’t personally know if this reputation is accurate, but there can be no room for revenge in a president. You will need to work well with even your enemies if you are to be successful.
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Stop–immediately–the angry tweets and words that put people down. I could ignore them when you were a businessman. They disturbed me greatly when you were a candidate. They will detract tremendously from your presidency.
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Show some humility and apologize to those you offended in some of your tweets and remarks. Judges? Women? News media? Mexicans? Senators? Other candidates? Muslims? Gold-Star families? Your words were at times very offensive, and an honest apology will help mend fences. Don’t explain or walk-back the statements. Just apologize. It will help.