As a Greek-American, a granddaughter of immigrants, and a woman, I cannot and will not support Trump. I owe much of my thinking about Trump to my Greek heritage, and here’s why.

Greece was the birthplace of democracy. The word “democracy” quite literally means “strength of the common people” as it is derived from the Greek words “demos” (common people) and ‘kratos” (strength). Ancient Greek political thinkers distinguished good government (democracy, aristocracy, monarchy) from bad (tyranny, oligarchy, ochlocracy). To them, good government acted for the greater good of its people, while bad government acted in the interests of a person or group at the expense of justice.

Trump’s “regime” is unquestionably the latter. I would add kakistocracy, which, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary is defined as “government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state.” This term exemplifies most, if not every person, in his current administration. So many have left, and several high-ranking past members have spoken out very harshly against him. Key members of his 2016 campaign have been arrested and convicted of crimes relating to that campaign, most recently Steve Bannon, who has been arrested for defrauding Trump’s own supporters out of millions of dollars. Trump is an enemy of and threat to our American democracy. He is a racist, and also a xenophobe and misogynist–two words particularly familiar to Greek speakers. Trump also is beholden to Putin and various Russian oligarchs, and is cozying up to Greece’s natural enemy, Erdogan. If Trump gets another term, look for Erdogan to invade Cyprus and Greece while Trump looks on and somehow justifies the action.

Furthermore, Trump has absolutely no appreciation of culture, unlike Pericles, who presided over and fostered some of our ancient culture’s finest accomplishments. It is still visible today in art, literature and architecture. Trump, on the other hand, appreciates nothing unless it bears his name or likeness.

Every American, who is not indigenous, including Trump himself and two of his wives, is a descendant of immigrants, or a new immigrant. My grandparents came from Lafiona, Lesvos. My grandmother’s family escaped the Turks in Smyrna, Asia Minor. I would be betraying my Greek ancestors by supporting someone who has such disdain for immigrants. Trump’s treatment of migrants, separating children from their parents, and putting them in cages, are crimes against humanity. No one should accept this cruelty, least of all the American people.

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President Obama handed Trump an economy that had rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis. He has squandered it on egregious tax cuts for his billionaire friends and corporate robber barons who, in turn, used them for stock buybacks instead of employee compensation. Once again, “trickle down” is nothing more than a Republican scam, causing the deficit to balloon well before COVID-19. As a result we are far less prepared economically for this current crisis than other wealthy nations that have had strong social safety nets and programs in place—universal healthcare as well as work-family policies for child care, pre-school and paid family leave. Many countries have subsidized wages for employees, while we depend on unemployment benefits that are beholden to the whims of a deeply partisan, dysfunctional Congress.

Trump’s lack of character and ethics is inherent in every aspect of his job. His allegiance to Putin seems more important than his allegiance to our country. Trump does not “preserve, protect and defend” our Constitution, he walks all over it. He was impeached for Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress by soliciting a foreign power (Ukraine) to interfere in the 2020 election—a direct attack on our democratic process.

Trump is anti-science. His response to COVID-19 has been a disaster. It is now projected that 250,000 Americans will die from it by Election Day. He withdrew us from the World Health Organization in the midst of the pandemic. This anti-science stance has also prohibited us from addressing climate change—the greatest existential threat to our planet. Trump has pulled us out of the Paris Climate Agreement. He prefers pandering to his fossil fuel industry cronies instead of building a green economy that would create new jobs and preserve the planet for future generations. In sum, Trump is the antithesis of what my Greek heritage has intrinsically taught me – freedom of expression, appreciation of culture, and most of all, understanding that a nation is successful only if it acts for the greater good of its people—not for a despot.

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This is what democracy means to me, and why I do not, cannot, and never will support Trump. He is unfit to be the President of the United States. His revenge and grievance politics have made us a deeply divided and polarized nation. He needs to be replaced so that we can repair our country and regain our place on the world stage.

  • The writer of this article did not wish to have their name published