Welcome to South Carolina, Mr. President, where you’re visiting to try to influence the outcome of another election. We find this to be interesting because you have so many problems with America’s fair election process when it involves you. But when it’s someone else? You seem to have no problem telling anyone what to do and serving as an instigator of chaos and fear to try to get your way, not what’s best for the nation.
As you interact with Republican fanboys and fangirls in South Carolina, we offer the reminder that our people come from sturdy stock, even though some have lost their way. More than 250 years ago, South Carolina patriots fought to turn back an armed-to-the-teeth British flotilla trying to take Charleston. We secured the first major naval victory of the Revolutionary War, a win that boosted morale throughout the American colonies.
We didn’t like tyrants then, and we don’t now like the tyrant you’ve become. We believe in fair play over corruption, level playing fields over preferential treatment and common sense over ignorance. In each case, you and your administration offer the latter, not the former.
In South Carolina, we still believe in the American Dream and the rule of law, both of which the billionaires and thoughtless lackeys in your administration seek to dismantle day by day — from causing confusion about critical vaccines and dangerous pollution in our waters to putting our troops at risk in a war of your making that no one understands.
The Palmetto State’s motto is “Dum spiro spero,” which translates to “While I breathe, I hope.” Yes, we are a hopeful bunch. And more than anything, we hope that you’ll start acting like a real president for the nation, not a petulant, narcissistic child who cares for nothing more than growing personal wealth and power.
We hope our children will have educational opportunities and affordable child care beyond our wildest dreams, not a system riddled with cuts that shifts responsibilities. For our nation to remain powerful, we need all Americans to excel educationally instead of being left behind.
We hope our special places will be protected, not sold off for greedy development. We don’t want our waters or land polluted with chemicals or data centers. We want our oceans free of plastics and our science infrastructure expanded so we can use solid information to benefit our state, not wallow in ignorance.
We hope our government works for all by providing more and better access to quality, affordable health care, instead of relying on rich corporate interests to control what’s happening.
We hope the government will stop making our homes and streets unsafe through extra-judicial militarized police that terrorize Americans through illegal means.
And we want our economy to work for everyone, not just the billionaires with their thumbs on power. Under your administration, grocery prices have gone up when you said they’d go down. Gas is more expensive thanks to the war you started. Overall prices are higher because of sweeping and volatile tariffs that make Americans pay for your greedy policies. And corruption is at an all-time high thanks to how you, your family and friends profit from taxpayer funds and special treatment.
So welcome to South Carolina, Mr. President. Start doing your job for all of us instead of imprinting the Oval Office with more gold appliques from Home Depot.
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