If there is one phrase I’ve heard repeated too many times since election night, it is “Just give Trump a chance.”
I want to preface this whole piece with the fact that I hope I am dead-wrong about President-elect Donald J. Trump.
I want him to be the most successful president in our history, and I desire to be pleasantly surprised by the good work he may do.
I will give Trump a chance.
But I’m asking everyone to give honesty a chance during his administration.
In such a divided time in our nation, it will be easy to either love or hate Trump’s actions based on the party with which you identify.
That is precisely why this election requires us to work to step out of our factions to see the truth of what is happening in Washington.
We should start by recognizing that Trump’s presidency will be anything but ordinary. Because he has never held public office, he will have to learn a great deal about public policy, and we can expect plenty of mistakes along the way.
President Obama has even committed extra time to help President-elect Trump learn the peculiarities of the job.
Another unique aspect of Trump’s administration will be his handling of money and conflicts of interest. He is refusing a salary, and though it will have no real impact on the federal budget, it is an act of goodwill that has been well received by most Americans.
Unfortunately, allowing his children to run his company while holding positions in the presidential transition team as well as possibly obtain high-level security clearances poses a conflict of interest. The presidential precedent has been to invest finances into a blind trust where no conflict of interest would be possible.
This unique circumstance appears to be somewhat intentional; Rudy Giuliani, who may be a serious contender to fill the position of secretary of state, claimed that conflict of interest laws “don’t apply to the president.”
Speaking of White House appointments, let’s talk about Steve Bannon, who was recently named Trump’s chief strategist. I can confidently say that I believe the ideas of Bannon have no place on this campus, much less in the president’s ears as he is taking decisive action on behalf of the entire country.
In my opinion, his perpetually racist, hateful speech goes against the highest values of the Creed and the Constitution. Not surprisingly, this decision was applauded by the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
To say that Bannon is completely unfit for any leadership position, even captain of a little league team, is an understatement.
So yes, you should give President-elect Trump a chance. No matter what you think of Trump as a person, we should all desire for him to succeed in his duties in the Oval Office.
However, that does not mean we turn a blind eye to his potential conflicts of interest or his repugnant choices for executive positions.
There will be another election, and unless we pay attention, we may fail to change the trajectory of this administration and nation.
Daniel Payne is a freshman integrated marketing communications major from Collierville, Tennessee.
