Americans voters have no obligation to respect or support President Trump

People are splitting hairs over whether protesting Donald Trump is protesting the office of the presidency or protesting his views.

“But you HAVE to respect the office,” they say, as if those who oppose Trump have ruined the peaceful transition of power.

I don’t think anyone is disputing the fact that Trump won the presidency. He won the electoral college, which is how the president is selected. The issue is that being president doesn’t mean that one is worthy of respect. It’s funny that the Republican Party wants Trump to be respected when they spent so long casting doubt on President Barack Obama’s belief system and place of birth. Despite the Affordable Care Act being a fundamentally Republican idea, they still ripped it to shreds. For someone who so vehemently claimed that an election was rigged and disrespected the electoral process, Trump seems awfully sensitive to protests.

Respect does not mean support or endorsement. I respect Trump in the way I respected my high-school principal: I respected that she had the power to potentially make my life a living hell. That doesn’t mean, however, that I thought she had anything valuable to contribute to the field of education. My “respect” for Trump is more like a simple acceptance that he won the election. Just because someone wins an election, doesn’t mean their power should go unchecked by the people. Winning a majority of the Electoral College cannot overrule the need to advocate for the rights of marginalized groups. Yes, Trump is president, but that’s just a job. There are bad presidents just as there are bad journalists and bad real estate agents. In any other field, if someone promised to do a bad job we’d take their word for it. Why is this case any different?

Trump said many shocking things on the campaign trail — that he believes women should be punished for abortions, Muslims should have to register and a wall should be built along our border to Mexico. Many people who voted for him said they did so because they felt like he told the truth and would do what he promised.

Many commentators insisted that the American people should wait for Trump to be inaugurated before judging his abilities as president, but what can they say now that Trump made his priorities clear just hours after the inauguration? Obama’s White House website was archived, and the new White House website does not have sections on climate change, LGBTQ+ rights and civil rights. However, the new administration did have time to add a section promoting Melania Trump’s jewelry line. What could be more disrespectful than a president promoting his own wife’s business interests before taking the time to add pages to his site on the issues that most impact the American people?

The fact that Trump was inaugurated already cannot be an excuse for complacency. Being elected does not mean that all citizens owe Trump unquestioned and unchecked allegiance. Holding the title of president of the U.S. does not mean everything you touch turns to gold. There is still so much to be done ahead of the 2018 elections that can help us reverse the course of this administration.

It’s clear our current president does not respect the people he was elected to represent. So why should we respect him?

Nicole Dan is a UF political science and journalism junior. Her column appears on Mondays.