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Dear Trump: A Dear John Letter

An Overdue Goodbye

By Christine HollermannPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Dear Trump: A Dear John Letter
Photo by Sean Ferigan on Unsplash

Dear Trump,

There are a few criteria required for someone to experience trauma; first, they must feel terror, extreme distress, or be in life or death situation and second, they must feel there is no way out, a helplessness.

Following a traumatic event a person may experience post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) which can include invasive thoughts, flash backs, a flight-fight-freeze response, insomnia, anxiety, depression, anger and a smattering if other mental health challenges.

Additionally there are two types of PTSD, the one we've known for a while, and namesake, PTSD, often occurs after a singular event such as a car accident for example. There is also complex post traumatic stress disorder or CPTSD which is a more recent discovery, often occurring in individuals who experience chronic high stress situations. We see this in people from neglectful or abusive relationships, homes, people who have spent time in war zones, or for example, many citizens in America, following your 4 year term.

I lead with this educational component because I assume you are not aware of your mental health or your impact on others because if you were, I have to believe, for my sanity, that you would've conducted yourself differently. As it stands, you did not. You opted for hate, fear mongering, elevating hate speech, bigotry, racism, xenophobia and sexism of every ill informed, under developed, white supremist and gave them a voice and pride. You created both the criteria for CPTSD and PTSD. You have directly had a hand in killing hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens. I'm not sure you care or can comprehend that. Your actions suggest indifference and ignorance. Your impact, regardless of understanding, is hellish.

Now, some problems in our country, such as racial inequality, existed well before you but you did nothing to heal and everything to divide. You gave; continue to give, a renewed enthusiasm to hate groups.

One time when I was in high school I was at a party and this young man, white, like yourself, you'd probably love him, had the idea to fill a water balloon with gasoline and hang it on the end of the stick and slowly move it over an enormous bon fire. It was at that point I decided to step away from the situation. You sir, are the stick, the balloon of gas, the oversized bon fire, and the idiot white man thinking poking it into a fire on the end of a piece of wood is a good idea. The main difference here being that I could leave that situation, I can't leave America. I couldn't leave you, I, like millions, had to endure you. And now we've circled nicely back to the trauma you've reactivated or given so many people.

I was, I hope on my best days that I still am, a kind person. An ally to every group you caused to fear for their lives, marriages, and safety in our country, but you and your actions have created a well of darkness. A fiery hellfire inside that wishes only pain and suffering for you in the remainder of this life, in any life or afterlife that may follow, for as long as you live and the only comfort I get is knowing you are old and will hopefully die soon, preferably in prison. I delight in the thought of your suffering. That wasn't who I was four years ago. In fact, during the first year, I tried to talk and bridge with people who voted for and followed you, sometimes successfully, finding shared desire for a better country and now, now just internal hellfire.

The reality is you are an abuser and you were given so much power that you were able to abuse so many of us all at once, empowering a small army of fellow abusers. A horde of hate filled, ignorant bullies feeling they too had been wronged, denying science, denying facts, denying the election and some literally attempting a coup to serve you. Right now I hate you. I hate you in a visceral, exaggerated way, I can only see you as a monster. I felt this way about the men who touched me when I was far too young to be touched and far too young to know I had even a choice to say no. It was part of the process to recovery -- to processing my trauma, for a while, they had to be evil incarnate. Over time, after healing, I could see they were people capable of good and bad, their actions, though inexcusable, were not the actions of a monster, but of a man. That distinction matters because monsters can't be overcome, but men can. Soon enough, in a few short days, your reign will end and when I think about that the hatred inside me begins to dim, and hope begins to swell. It feels good. Even in typing this my shoulders release and air flows more freely into my body. Your ability to hurt me and our country will significantly decrease. I, and the country, can begin to heal. We will overcome you.

I repeat, we will overcome you. With hope, with kindness, with determination, and healing. We have survived you; we will thrive past you.

There is no justification for the harm you committed, no excuse to give or words to say that lessen your responsibility or the negative impact you've had on this country. There is nothing you can do to undo the wrongs you've done. You are responsible for your actions, even in doing every desperate thing you can do to avoid that truth, you remain responsible. You and your days are numbered, both in office and on this world, and that is the silver lining this country needs right now.

I hope you have the day you deserve every single day for the remainder of eternity, getting no worse than what you gave, but also no better.

Sincerely,

Chrissy Hollermann

trump
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About the Creator

Christine Hollermann

Getting back into writing after a couple years break. Going to start my first book this year. Tips appreciated but never expected.

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