Donald J. Trump proclaimed on Election Night hisĀ intention to be the president for “all Americans.”
He said so while he was declaring victory after being elected president of the United States. Trump said he intends to bind the deep political wounds that divided Americans.
Wise words. A wise message. Was it heartfelt? Was it sincere?
Consider this: The president-elect has embarked on a tour of locations where he was victorious over Hillary Rodham Clinton. He’s been to Wisconsin, to Iowa, to Ohio, to Pennsylvania. Today he was in Louisiana. He’s going to Florida.
Trump won all those states. He has spoken to cheering crowds. He has soaked up the love flowing from the cheering audiences.
However, I am wondering along with some other observers why he hasn’t scheduled any appearances in, say, California, or New York (his home state, by the way), or Illinois, or Minnesota. Those states all were won by Clinton.
Were the votes cast in those statesĀ for the former secretary of state unanimous? Of course not! It would seem that the next president could muster enough of a crowd at any location in any of the states that Hillary won to offer a word of thanks for those who did support him.
Imagine for just a moment what the reaction would be if Hillary Clinton had won the presidency and visited only those states where she had won and ignored those that went for her opponent.
I get that those would merely be symbolic steps. However, symbolism matters at times. It sends important messages.
This could be one of those times when the president-elect, still aglow from his stunning victory,Ā tells Americans living in those states where most voters opposed him that, by golly, he’sĀ their president, too.