Trump deserves chance to lead
Donald Trump will be sworn in Friday as the 45th president of the United States. And as Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech, he deserves an open mind and a chance to lead.
Though Trump did not win the popular vote, he exceeded the Electoral College requirement – and that’s what ultimately counts.
Americans should hope Trump succeeds as president in making our country better and more prosperous.
That doesn’t mean the public or Democratic lawmakers must accept all of Trump’s ideas or behaviors. If Trump proposes a bad policy – or makes an offensive tweet – he should be challenged and criticized.
But it is important to be open to new approaches, recognizing that Trump campaigned on changing the status quo. His pledge to “make America great again” connected with many voters, especially those who felt ignored by the political establishment.
Trump faces a big challenge. It will be difficult to translate some of his campaign promises into results. He also enters the office as the least popular new president in at least four decades, with only 40 percent of Americans having a favorable opinion on him, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
But America faces even bigger challenges. Though the economy has been growing steadily, too many people are still struggling. Budget deficits are projected to skyrocket in the near future, particularly if Congress doesn’t reform entitlement programs (or if it chooses to slash taxes). And the threat of terrorism and other international conflicts remain.
In short, America needs Congress and the Trump administration to find bipartisan solutions that strengthen and improve our country.
Many Democrats are in no mood to work with Trump. That’s understandable, given how some GOP lawmakers treated President Obama. Trump, himself, tried to delegitimize Obama by questioning whether he was born in America.
Republicans were wrong for not showing Obama and the office of the presidency more respect. It would also be wrong for Democrats to treat Trump the same way.
Our nation can’t afford continued gridlock and infighting.
Give Trump a chance.
This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Trump deserves chance to lead."