I am a conservative, Christian Republican. I am not an independent or even a moderate Republican. But I know that Donald Trump should never be president again.
Nearly four years have passed since the 2020 presidential election, yet Trump continues refusing to concede his defeat. Despite his own attorney former general William Barr, finding no evidence of widespread election fraud,, Trump still insists that the election was “stolen.” His supposed evidence that he was the rightful winner includes that he received the most votes ever for an incumbent president, and there is no way Biden could have received more votes than him due to his small crowd sizes. Trump cannot accept that his opponent, Joe Biden, received over seven million more votes than he did.
His arguments that fraudulent ballots were cast are completely baseless, as they depend on doctored videos that were later debunked. Perhaps one of the most well-known conspiracy theories is his belief that suitcases full of fraudulent ballots cost him the election in Georgia, even though his then-Deputy Attorney General, Jeffrey Rosen, found that the “suitcases” shown in the video were actually bins used to count votes.
Aside from the refusal to concede, I cannot support a man who has openly cheated on each of his three wives multiple times. He infamously took his first mistress, Marla Maples, on vacation with his family, where she confronted his wife, Ivanka. In 2006, just one year after marrying his current wife Melania, he allegedly had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. He then got his lawyers to pay her $130,000 in hush money. Keep in mind, Trump is supposedly the voice and representative of evangelical Christians.
His statements and actions regarding his faith should raise concerns to all Christ followers. On Easter Sunday this year, Trump rambled in a 168-word Truth Social post, “HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024…”
Easter is a day commemorating Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, but Trump was focused on insulting the prosecution of his court case. Less than a week prior, he’d announced the sale of a $60 “USA Bible” that included the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence and more.
Despite criticism of his Easter remarks, Trump had similar remarks on Memorial Day just two months later. His message included, “Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country.” Once again, a holiday established to honor personal sacrifice for the greater good was sabotaged by Trump’s self interests.
When he feels threatened by a political adversary, he responds with unprovoked personal insults. During the Republican primaries, he referred to then-candidate Nikki Haley as “Birdbrain,” “Nimrada” and “Nimbra,” mocking her foreign birth name. Perhaps worst of all, he taunted Haley’s husband, Michael Haley, who was on deployment overseas by asking the South Carolina crowd, “Where is he? He’s gone.”
Trump’s animosity against those who disagree with him is dictator-esque, forcing out anyone who isn’t perfectly aligned with his interests. He fired FBI director James Comey for not handling the Hillary Clinton email scandal the way Trump felt it should have been. He fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2018 and National Security Advisor John Bolton in 2019 because of disagreements on foreign policy issues. He pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions into resigning because Sessions recused himself from the Russian interference investigation. The list goes on and on, as he had a turnover of 92% for his “A Team” by the end of his term .
Perhaps worst of all, he turned on his own right-hand man, former Vice President Mike Pence. Because Pence approved the certification of the 2020 election, Trump began a storm of tweets criticizing his own running mate. Despite years of unwavering loyalty to Trump, it all boiled down to one disagreement. There seems to be no such thing as civil discourse when dealing with Donald Trump. Either you agree with him or you face imminent exile from the party.
Trump’s admiration for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is clear, as Trump called him “very talented” and “smart,”even referring to Putin’s war against Ukraine as “genius” and “savvy.” He has complimented North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un by calling him “very honorable,” and after Kim was appointed to the WHO Executive Board in 2023, Trump posted “Congratulations to Kim Jung Un!” on Truth Social. Trump has called president of China Xi Jinping “smart, brilliant, everything perfect”. Russia, North Korea and China are our greatest national security threats. Their leaders are not our friends.
Even when Trump’s opinions are agreeable and sensible, he can’t seem to speak without being divisive. In 2020, Black Lives Matter protestors were in full force after the death of George Floyd. Stores were being looted and burned to the ground, with chaos rampant in multiple major U.S. cities. As our nation’s leader, Trump had a responsibility to condemn the protests as any sensible person, Republican or Democrat, would have done. However, Trump poured lighter fluid on a blazing fire by sending out a tweet that read, “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd … when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Trump’s choice of words did nothing but increase animosity between protestors and anti-protestors. Three months later, 17-year-old anti-protester Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines from Illinois to Wisconsin heralding a rifle to “defend” the city of Kenosha against protestors. While there, he shot three people, resulting in two deaths. Whether the shooting was justified is debatable, but it certainly was preventable.
While I agree with many of Trump’s views on economic and immigration policies, his neverending moral failings and blatant disregard for ethical standards overshadow any policy achievements. The presidency, the highest office in the land, demands exemplary conduct and unwavering integrity. Unfortunately, Trump’s behavior has diminished the office’s dignity, undermined national unity and prioritized personal interests over the country’s well-being.
His divisive rhetoric, unethical personal conduct and blatant self-serving actions make it clear that he is unfit for the presidency. As a conservative and a Christian, I cannot reconcile these moral and ethical breaches with the responsibilities of the highest office in the nation. Therefore, my decision is unequivocal. I will not be supporting Trump in the upcoming election.
