Bill Gilkeson: He’s ‘our president’ now

Recently I happened upon a demonstration in Nash Square against Donald Trump. The marchers were young and ethnically diverse. I was glad to see them expressing opposition.

The election’s outcome upset me, too. But they chanted one slogan I didn’t like: “not my president.” That sounds too much like: “not my country.”

Trump was elected with the support of some who advocate white nationalism. As I understand it, that’s the view that the only real Americans are people of Northern European descent, possibly also Christians of a limited kind. While he may not exactly have endorsed that view, Trump certainly encouraged it as a ploy to get elected.

Where he goes with it now is unclear. That is not the America to which I pledge allegiance.

For me, a real American is anyone from anywhere who comes here and supports democracy and the proposition that all are created equal. No matter who’s elected, I’m not giving up on that.

So “not my president” is the opposite of what Trump needs to hear. He needs to hear, “You are my president, too, and don’t you forget it.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Bill Gilkeson: He’s ‘our president’ now."