Let's Not Elect a President Who Hates America

That would be a spectacularly bad idea

Sharks—infinitely less deadly than Donald Trump

I love Milwaukee. 

After all, that’s where Laverne and Shirley lived and worked. But that’s not how Donald feels. 

Jake Sherman, a Capitol Hill reporter with Punchbowl News, reported Thursday that my convicted felon uncle told House Republicans at a meeting in Washington that Milwaukee is a “horrible city.” 

Good luck walking that comment back before next month’s Republican convention which is being held in–Milwaukee. It probably doesn’t help that Republicans on the Hill can’t decide how to spin Donald’s self-destructive comment. I’m sure at some point we’ll be told we can’t take him seriously or literally. 

Of course, he likely won’t try to walk it back. If asked about it, maybe he’ll try to change the subject by ranting about the results of the 2020 election or the problem with windmills. Whether he denies or deflects or doubles down, he actually does hate Milwaukee. We know this because he hates all of America.

And we know he hates America because he tells us all the time that he hates America. 

Consider how many different parts of this country Donald has insulted and attacked–places like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Part of his slow-rolling coup was his attempt to have votes from those cities thrown out. He trashed New York every single day when he was on trial for falsifying business records in order to cover up an election fraud scheme. New York was his home for the first 75 years of his life: If he hates his own hometown, it’s a safe bet that he hates yours too. 

He routinely tells the American people that our leaders are “dumb” while extolling the virtues of murderous dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. 

He insults our military, calling our generals and soldiers “some of the dumbest people.” He calls our fallen warriors “suckers” and “losers.”

He even hates our athletes. He’s attacked some of our finest—from LeBron James to the US women’s soccer team—WHILE they were playing on foreign soil.

He hates our judicial system which he attacks every day with the goal of undermining his followers’ faith in it. He hates our election system and our election workers. He attacks them almost every day, too, with the same motive. 

He launched a violent insurrection on the United States Capitol, and refused to use the considerable power he had to stop it. He sat by and watched on television while the violence he incited unfolded. Since then, he’s promised to pardon the criminals who attacked the Capitol and the police officers who put their lives on the line to protect it and the people inside. 

[Donald hates sharks, too, but sharks aren’t exclusively American so perhaps they shouldn’t be included here—although it is a weird and random obsession.]

But perhaps more than anything, the convicted felon, whom Republicans have chosen to lead their party, hates Americans. If he gets back in the White House, he’s going to spend four years showing us just how much. 

My uncle is not a complicated person. As the world’s dictators have learned, he’s very easy to figure out and even easier to manipulate. He loves people who kiss his ass (as long as they’re stronger than he is or they can be of use to him), and he hates everyone who doesn’t. That means he hates the 81 million of us who didn’t vote for him in 2020. Revenge (and staying out of prison) is one of the driving forces behind his entire campaign.

Don’t take my word for it—listen to him. He tells us openly that he is the right’s “retribution.”

Joe Biden, on the other hand, loves thins country. This week, his only surviving son was convicted of three felonies in a Delaware court. Hunter Biden is a recovering addict who has known tragic loss, starting with the death of his mother and little sister in a car accident in which he himself suffered traumatic brain injuries. His beloved brother, Beau, died from cancer only nine years ago. 

When Hunter’s guilty verdict was announced, his father didn’t throw him under the bus. But neither did he attack the rule of law. He found a way to show his support for both. That’s real love. And that’s patriotism. 

Here’s what the president had to say:

As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.

As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal. Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.

My uncle thinks patriotism is grabbing the American flag inappropriately, tear-gassing peaceful protestors, and undermining the institutions that are foundational to our democracy. My hope is that the American people will see that. 

This November, Milwaukee’s citizens will get a chance to tell Donald what they think of his contempt for their home. I’m excited to hear what they have to say. But that’s because I love Milwaukee–and the rest of my country.