Dear President-elect Trump,

First, I should confess that I did not vote for you. Further, I spoke negatively of your campaign and encouraged others to also not vote for you. Yes, I voted for Kamala. Is she competent for the task? Probably not. Should she sit in the White House? Clearly, not. She had my vote for one reason: she wasn’t you.

Now, since the election, the media are overwhelming me with the many criticisms of your questionable choices in building your cabinet and others to be part of your governing team. I do confess that, briefly, I floated along with the crowd, condemning your choices of Gaetz, Hegseth, and others. But that is now behind me. No, I haven’t changed my mind about my vote, but I respect that you are now the president-elect. You explicitly told us of your plans, and the majority have given you the authority with their vote to do as you stated. As president-elect, you have the right—and the obligation—to select your preferences for appointments, even if their credentials are suspect. But, seriously, why them? Is loyalty to you so important that you will allow the country to fall into disarray due to incompetent and/or inexperienced leaders?

Let’s be clear on that. Your selected individuals have drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. You are proposing a government of kakistocracy—a government of the worst and least qualified. What happens on day one for these appointments? A government run by a group of people who know little to nothing about the job. That is what we will have. But I will say no more on that. Our only hope is that the unsung subordinates (whose civil service status you plan to destroy) will manage to hold the government aloft while the newbies learn the fundamentals of the job. As an aside, there is a benefit of having a cabinet of people with different opinions from yours, and you would do well with diverse ideas. The country benefits from discussions where multiple opinions receive equal voice and consideration, not a cabinet where members consent to the leader’s choice. We expect our president to have sufficient strength to yield better ideas when presented. Are you listening, sir?

My guess, Mr. President-elect, is that you watch the FOX network regularly. True? Yes, I thought so—the nice folks at FOX like to say nice things about you, whether believable or not. I have heard there that you supposedly have a mandate for all you wish to do, whether deporting people or your other objectives, but let me assure you that you do not. That’s right, you do not have a mandate to do anything. You received just 49.9% of the vote, just enough to squeak across the line to win, having a plurality of the votes. That is no mandate. Of the total votes cast, 50.19% of voters preferred someone else. There is no majority for you. Mandate? No way. I emphasize this, sir, because, to be an effective leader, I encourage you to work to represent all of us, not just that 49.9% who gave you their vote. Is that asking too much? It may mean slowing down a bit, listening more, and focusing on the country as a whole.

Okay, as I stated earlier, you are my president, and we all must support you, but we hope you do not see all of our problems as having quick fixes. For example, you indicate that imposing tariffs on imported goods will bring jobs back and reduce costs, but experts advise that will fail. Increasing tariffs just raises the cost to the consumer and alienates persons in other countries at our arrogance. You know that, I’m sure, considering your extensive exposure on the world stage. Yes, I agree that promising to raise tariffs gives a quick emotional promise of better things to come, but a cautious assessment indicates this may be a poor move.

Okay, one final suggestion: there have been several political cartoons indicating you will be a puppet with foreign leaders, with their taking advantage of your ego and desire for adulation. Be careful, but work to place our country as one among others, not one that must tower over others. We need to be in constructive dialogue with others, such as Russia and China. Waving a sword in their face only annoys them.

With that, I wish you well. Yes, I am concerned and nervous that you will create havoc and turn the country onto itself in disputes and anger. Don’t screw up. You can be successful if only you try.