The Oval Office


The presidency.  What do you think of when you hear those words?  I think of respect, and regality.  I think of calmness, of nobility, of wisdom.  It is the highest form of office that a person in this country can obtain.  The president has eight official roles as leader of the country, the first six of them written specifically into the Constitution; let’s dissect them.  

Chief of State: the president is the ceremonial head of the country.  He is the symbol of all the people.

Chief Executive: the president has the many powers of the Constitution vested in him.  Even with checks and balances, he is the single head of the executive branch of government.

Chief Administrator: the president, as the head of the executive branch, is the employer of more than 2.7 million government workers under the executive office.

Chief Diplomat: the president is the main author of the country’s foreign policy.  Everything he says and does is closely followed.

Commander in Chief: the president is in charge of the country’s armed forces.  He has direct and immediate control of the military.

Chief Legislator: the president is crucial in helping shape public policy.  Most of his time is spent working hand in hand with Congress.

Chief of Party: the president is automatically the leader of the political party to which he is representing in the office.  While not mentioned in the Constitution, this is nonetheless an important role of government.

Chief Citizen: this is possibly the president’s most important role, even though it is not outlined in the Constitution.  He is the representative of all the people, the moral leader of the United States.

Now let’s think about Donald Trump.  Does Mr. Trump fit any of these roles?  Mr. Trump the billionaire who represents the 1% is supposed to be the symbol of the people?  Mr. Trump who has never held a political office is supposed to run the executive branch?  Mr. Trump who made a career out of firing people is supposed to be the boss of millions?  Mr. Trump who speaks unfollowable jibberish in debates and public addresses is supposed to be our foreign policy representative?  Mr. Trump who becomes enraged by a 140-character tweet on the internet is supposed to be in charge of nuclear codes?  Mr. Trump who ostracizes dozens of demographics is supposed to work together with our Congress?  Mr. Trump who has fractured the Republican party is supposed to become the head of it?  Mr. Trump who degrades women, has been married 3 times, has been accused of sexual assault, has used donated money for personal expenses, has insulted minorities across our nation is supposed to be our country’s moral exemplar?

I am 17 years old, and I cannot vote in this year’s election.  But that does not mean that I do not get a say.  I am going to be a legal adult by this time next year, and I will have to live and abide by the world that the new president will create.  Please, if you can vote, do so, and make the right decision.  A man like Donald Trump cannot represent our country in the eyes of the world.

If you can find a way to justify his actions, then you deserve him.  But if you are the kind of person that will vote for him simply because you believe Hillary Clinton is the worse option, I implore you-reconsider.  Think about character, and experience.  Think about what being the president means.  Donald Trump is not worthy of the Oval Office, and he is not worthy of your votes.


2 thoughts on “The Oval Office

  1. Abigail you make a compelling point. Both candidates have there challenges among the points, but Clinton has public office experience and therefore a greater understanding of the challenges ahead.

    Business executives making the leap into public office are at a huge disadvantage…i.e. no public office experience (mastery of influencing strategies) and financial management of governments. Private and public finances are completely different, as pointed out in this news article,

    But even if a proven business CEO or another business executive, demonstrated that then have the necessary skill set to be effective as a president of the United States, they still would be a rookie. No effective decision maker, hiring for a key position, would ever risk putting a rookie in such a critical role. For me, I would much rather see Trump earn his stripes in a public position that demonstrates proven effectiveness before ever being considered for the White House. He simply is not ready and we as a nation should not be compelled to risk such a candidate for our president.

    Liked by 1 person

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