I believe what I heard coming from Trump’s mouth on January 6th…and, how he didn’t help elected leaders of our country for hours. I know what I heard him say in his belittling prisoner of war Sen. John McCain, and disrespect a Gold Star family. I believe what I heard Mike Pence, Kevin McCarthy and many other Republicans expressed immediately after the attempted insurrection about Trump’s actions that day.  I believe Gen. Kelly and Gen. Milley, and Cassie Hutchison, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and the list goes on. I believe the tapes I saw of the day of the insurrection.  I believe what I heard come from Trump’s lips about Senator McCain and I believe what the records say about Vietnam and his bone spurs…and I believe the witnesses.

I believe in the findings Republican and Democrat appointed judges found in 60-plus election fraud cases refuting the existence of election fraud.  I heard the Trump appointed justices say they would respect stare decisis in their decisions and then watched the overturning of Roe versus Wade…I cannot say I was that naive, but I was hopeful. I have watched the irresponsible, poorly planned, and deadly implementation of the overturning and heard Trump brag about making it happen it. I watched him freeze and mismanage a pandemic that would get so out of hand that people would die for months after his departure. I saw the children out of school, the businesses that had been in my community since I was a child close their doors–some to never reopen. I watched him refuse to debate the other Republican candidates who had the courage to step to the podium and talk to us about their plans for the future. I watched him freeze in his debate with Harris in much the way he chose did with COVID, and then refuse to debate her again just as he refused those in his own party. There’s just so much, I cannot possibly touch upon everything.

So, you see, I will likely never agree Trump is fit to be President. But I do accept it.

That said, I will pray for him as I have prayed for every President of the United States, and I will pray for our country, its people, and our democracy to flourish under him. I will continue to work to make our nation work for all of our citizens and to be the beacon of hope it has been for me. I know it is not unheard of for there are many stories of men finding the direction, heart, courage, and purpose to lead nations.

My acceptance is so much more than Trump and his many supporters offered President Biden and his administration. I am sure President Biden is finding it difficult to be civil when in his heart he is so very worried about our nation, our democracy, and the people he has served for a lifetime.

But like me and many others, he understands and believes in our Constitution and laws, and the battles fought by those who came before us in pursuit of a more perfect union. And also like me and many others, he understands we are a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” He is expecting all of us to rise to the moment.