Writers sign letter against Trump. Hundreds of American writers do not want Donald Trump to become the next president of the United States, and they are encouraging their fellow citizens not to support the Republican presidential presumptive nominee.
Stephen King, Junot Diaz, Cheryl Strayed, Dave Eggers and more than 450 writers signed an open letter to the American people stating their reasons for opposing Trump’s candidacy.
Writers’ reasons for opposing Trump
The writers emphasized that they are aware that language can be abused in many ways in the name of power and they believe that democracy rests on pluralism, welcomes principled disagreement and achieves consensus through reasoned debate.
They also believe that knowledge experience, flexibility, and historical awareness are indispensable in a leader. Furthermore, they believe that neither wealth nor celebrity qualifies any person to speak for the United States, to lead its military, to maintain its alliances or to represent its people.
The also noted that American history has been about bringing people of different background together not pitting them against each other although it went through periods of nativism and bigotry.
According to the writers, American needs an immediate and forceful response against the “rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities.”
The letter concluded with the statement, “For all these reasons, we, the undersigned, as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.”
Authors Andrew Altschul and Mark Slouka published the letter on Literary Hub and ipetitions. More than 11 thousand people already signed the petition as of 5:27 P.M. Pacific Standard Time (PST). Their goal was to obtain 10,000 signatures supporting their campaign to stop Trump.
What writers say about Trump
“Trump is a pugnacious idiot with no real understanding of how government works. He is a consensus breaker rather than a consensus maker. To call him underqualified for the job would be like calling me underqualified to teach quantum physics. I’ve said this again and again on my Twitter feed. He’s an embarrassment to the Republican Party, and a bad buy for America,” said Stephen King as quoted by Buzzfeed.
Jane Smiley said, “I signed this, because, like all sane people, I think that Donald Trump is dangerous and irresponsible in how he presents himself and how he treats others. Given his history, I do not think he knows enough to run a business, much less the government. He prides himself on causing chaos for his own pleasure, and I shudder to think he might even come close to being elected.”
Jamie Twortkowski, author of New York Times Bestseller “If You Feel Me Too Much” tweeted, “Happy to add my name to this list. Donald Trump ain’t my President. Use your voice and your vote.”
Novelist Laura van den Berg tweeted, “Trump is the enemy in this electoral cycle & his defeat is going to take all our energy and fight and togetherness.”
