Open Letter to President Trump
Dear President Trump,
Hi! My name is Mike Falkenstine and I live in Lone Tree, Colorado. As a life-long Republican, I’ve been excited with what you’ve been able to accomplish during your first-term as President of the United States. In particular, I’ve spent most of my adult life with a love for China and the Chinese people, and I think you’ve done a great job in your approach toward China. As much as I love China and its people, it’s government has been taking advantage of us for a long time and I’d encourage you to keep up the good work. (Much more to be said about this later!) I’m also an amateur North Korea watcher, and the way the North Korean people are suffering under Kim Jong Un is horrible and through my long experience in China I know that engagement is the best way to go with Kim and his floozies. Also, as an evangelical Christian, I love what you’ve done in the area of abortion. The sooner Planned Parenthood and their kind receive no federal funding, the better. Recent video evidence that they are selling aborted baby parts for profit shows the depth of the evil they embody. I pray there comes a day where abortion is completely outlawed in the United States.
With all the good things you’ve done for our country and the world, can I make a suggestion for you? Most of my adult life I’ve been in Christian non-profit work, so I know something about personal relations and getting people to really hear your message, and I think you need help in this area of your life. I wish I knew you personally and could sit down for a visit in relation to your general use of Twitter and some of the statements you make about people you don’t like. I believe you are hurting your ability to become a truly great leader and President through these missteps. Let me give you a couple of quick examples:
Lori Klausutis, who at age 28 in 2001 fainted as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition, falling and hitting her head on a desk. The hit to her head killed her, and although medical examiners ruled her death accidental, you’ve recently revived a conspiracy theory that her employer at the time of her death, then representative Joe Scarborough, had something to do with her death. Her widower, Timothy, pleaded with Twitter to delete the tweets and has said that your tweets have drug up the pain of her death all over again.
Last year, when then former Representative John D. Dingell Jr. died, you mocked his widow, Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, and implied that her late husband was looking up from hell. Upon reading your tweets Mrs. Dingell replied, “You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”
Mr. President, the New York Times has compiled a list of 598 insults you’ve hurled at others. News organizations are able to catalog all the times you insult people on Twitter. There is a pattern developing here, sir. You lash out at people you don’t like and hurl insults about people who you feel are threatening your ability to get what you want. While I wish I could come sit with you in the White House for a week of ‘Here’s how to do this better,’ let me offer you this one piece of advice: Think before you Tweet. Think about what you want to tweet, then ask yourself the question, ‘Is this tweet constructive?’ Then ask yourself ‘Will it add value to someone’s day today’ and/or ‘Will it make them feel better?’ If the answer is ‘No’ to any of these questions, don’t send the tweet. Please. You’ll be doing us both a favor. You’ll be helping out your image and you’ll find that positivity has a lot of power that you can use for good in your job. And you’ll be helping me out as well, as I try my best to support you in a world that sees a huge contradiction between what I say I believe as a Christian and my admiration and approval for some of what you’ve been able to accomplish as President.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Mike Falkenstine