# Will you give Donald Trump a chance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 19, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529 "2017-01-19T06:24:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/41 "2017-01-19T16:19:13Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > God’s reasons are not ours, and God has ordained Trump to be elected. Donald Trump is there for a divine reason, that, I believe is to bring forth the hatred and bitterness that has been a ongoing generational problem which has been simmering under the surface. These people are emboldened and also exposed for who they are. > > Like a good therapists will uncover hidden issues that must be dealt with to move on, I believe that is what God is doing with Trump. It is a time to heal those, or at least contain those, who are angry and hateful towards others. The turn to prayer, and offer good will despite the will of Trump is the way forward for our people. This is the time that God wants us to move forward, not with Trump, but to throw off our old ways of hatred, and embrace love, and pray that the grinch’s of this world have their heart grow 3 sizes. So God wants to increase our nuclear stockpile? God wants us to turn our backs on our friends and mock people with disabilities? God wants us to accept that groping women is acceptable under any circumstance, as is lying, cheating and deceiving others? God wants us to treat Muslims and Mexicans differently than our neighbors? God’s okay with all that? Not very Christian of him. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/42 "2017-01-19T16:23:05Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > As we near the presidential inauguration, I ask you dopers, will you give Trump a chance? > > (And yes, I was intending a poll for this topic, but I messed up and didn’t add one. Opinions are welcome.) How many chances? Until when? ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/43 "2017-01-19T16:24:48Z")
1. I’m in the “this question is pretty much meaningless” camp. He doesn’t need my permission to do what he’ll do. My approval or disapproval is going to result from what he does. He doesn’t need some empty space, free from criticism or judgment, to take action. 2. There have been times in my life when I’ve asked people to “give me a chance.” Or “another chance.” I think without exception I was given a chance to the degree I showed a willingness/ability to change the behavior in question - and, even more fundamentally, to admit that my past behavior was wrong or hurtful. If Trump does those things, sure - he gets another chance. But “give him a chance,” right now, seems like writing him a blank check for further bad behavior. To hell with that noise. ---
**Author:** ![ultimate11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/49beb7/32.png) [@ultimate11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultimate11)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/44 "2017-01-19T16:26:49Z")
By chance (people were asking about my clarity), I mean something like will you consider him the president or not? I can show you examples of people who wanted to not give him a chance. Protesters after the election, at the electoral college, and protesters on December 20th. So are you with the protesters or the people who aren’t protesting and taking the results as valid? And **CarnelK** , there was going to be a poll, but I won’t make one cause the thread did it’s purpose, even without the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/45 "2017-01-19T16:37:46Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > By chance (people were asking about my clarity), I mean something like will you consider him the president or not? > > I can show you examples of people who wanted to not give him a chance. Protesters after the election, at the electoral college, and protesters on December 20th. > > So are you with the protesters or the people who aren’t protesting and taking the results as valid? > > And **CarnelK** , there was going to be a poll, but I won’t make one cause the thread did it’s purpose, even without the poll. A lot of the protests are to let Trump know that he doesn’t have the support of the entire populace, or to encourage their Representatives and Congressmen to do the right ting and not just roll over when Trump says/does something stupid/evil, or to gain a voice in the national media to state their concerns. Would you have all these people who object to things Trump has done or stated that he is going to do just stay home silently and “give him a chance”? As others have already stated, both in this thread and in an uncountable number of other places, he has already blown his chances many times, so I ask again: How many chances does he get to blow? Until when? edited to add: he was elected President, not King or Emperor-Questioning him is a fundamental right. ---
**Author:** ![TheSpindle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@TheSpindle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSpindle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/46 "2017-01-19T16:43:37Z")
I don’t have to give him a chance. He’s not waiting on me. He wakes up every day with the opportunity to be good but chooses not to every single day. This isn’t a situation where no one knows if plan A or B is best so we give them a chance and see which works. This is a situation where he’s sworn to fuck the country up in every way possible. If he were to do something smart, mature, or beneficial to the country, it would be a complete 180 degree reversal of everything he’s ever done or promises to do. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/47 "2017-01-19T16:54:45Z")
I’m not even sure what “giving him a chance” means. I won’t assassinate him before he takes office, if that’s what you mean. If you mean “shut up and stop criticizing the terrible choices he is currently making as our Head of State and the evil things he constantly says”, I’ll shut up as soon as you do. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/48 "2017-01-19T16:56:17Z")
Trump will be given every opportunity to prove his detractors wrong. Up and until such time as he proves himself too dangerous or too incompetent. We will know soon enough what he does with the chance he’s been given. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/49 "2017-01-19T16:58:01Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > By chance (people were asking about my clarity), I mean something like will you consider him the president or not? The vast, vast majority of the country will recognize him as the President of the United States in 24 hours. There’s probably a pretty good number of Americans who think that Trump won the election unfairly, or that his win was not convincing, for various reasons. But even most of these people ultimately recognize that he DID win the election, even though they may wish to put an asterisk next to the election results. I’m guessing that the number of people who deny that Trump will be the President in 24 hours is like single digit percentages. Why do these fringe views bother you so much? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/50 "2017-01-19T17:02:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > How about a head start? A push. I’ll give him a push. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/51 "2017-01-19T17:04:04Z")
I’ll give him a much of a chance as the Republicans gave President Obama. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/52 "2017-01-19T17:05:18Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > By chance (people were asking about my clarity), I mean something like will you consider him the president or not? > > I can show you examples of people who wanted to not give him a chance. Protesters after the election, at the electoral college, and protesters on December 20th. > > So are you with the protesters or the people who aren’t protesting and taking the results as valid? > > And **CarnelK** , there was going to be a poll, but I won’t make one cause the thread did it’s purpose, even without the poll. That’s a strange viewpoint you got there, the protesters aren’t saying he’s not president. Some are saying he’s not legitimate, but that’s different. I won’t be at the protests because I’m not in the US, but we’re hosting about 12 protesters coming to DC (I made a bunch of chili for it and put it in the freezer). I think Trump is likely impeachable from day one and will work to get control of congress to see that happen and I will do everything in my power to try to diminish his stature so that he has a hard time realizing his policy goals. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/53 "2017-01-19T17:06:53Z")
_All we are saaaaaaayiiiiing…_ I will respond to things he says and does as I feel appropriate. I will not automatically oppose everything he proposes no matter what, unlike the GOP’s response to the previous administration, but he has already used up any honeymoon period/benefit of the doubt I may have given him via his actions, statements and cabinet choices since the election. Whether that approach constitutes “giving him a chance” or not is left as an exercise for the reader. > [@kanicbird](#): > > God’s reasons are not ours, and God has ordained Trump to be elected. Unusually for you, this idea has full Biblical support. I give you Romans 13: > [@ESV Bible](#): > > 1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. > > 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. > > 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, > > 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. > > 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. > > 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. > > 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. I admit that in this particular instance the ways in which God is moving are particularly strange and mysterious, but there you go. (OTOH, one can get one’s jollies by reminding Republicans that God wants them to pay taxes.) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/54 "2017-01-19T17:13:44Z")
Okay, now we have some clarity. Yes, he won the election, and will become President of the US in a few hours. I don’t see how this fits into any of the varied ways to define “give someone a chance,” but there you have it. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/55 "2017-01-19T17:18:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > He will be the President of the United States, appalling a thought as that is, and I will continue to respect the office even though I hold the man (as I have for years) in utter contempt. I will give him a chance in the sense of hoping and looking for him to do some few things which I can support, but I will strongly oppose him on what I already expect will be 95%+ of his toxic agenda. My prayer is that he (a) utterly disgraces himself and the GOP, but (b) does no lasting harm to the country. “Not My President” is denying reality. We’re Americans. Trump met the constitutional minimum requirements for the office of President, and garnered a majority of the electoral votes…ergo, he’s our President. But that doesn’t mean that we have to accept every reprehensible aspect of his character or every catastrophic or idiotic policy he tries to enact; and it’s the duty of every patriotic American to protest, vigorously. And as soon as the House of Representative grows some balls, and Trump crosses some threshold that even Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell can’t stomach, he won’t be our President. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/56 "2017-01-19T17:20:10Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > God’s reasons are not ours, and God has ordained Trump to be elected. Donald Trump is there for a divine reason, that, I believe is to bring forth the hatred and bitterness that has been a ongoing generational problem which has been simmering under the surface. These people are emboldened and also exposed for who they are. > > Like a good therapists will uncover hidden issues that must be dealt with to move on, I believe that is what God is doing with Trump. It is a time to heal those, or at least contain those, who are angry and hateful towards others. The turn to prayer, and offer good will despite the will of Trump is the way forward for our people. This is the time that God wants us to move forward, not with Trump, but to throw off our old ways of hatred, and embrace love, and pray that the grinch’s of this world have their heart grow 3 sizes. File this under “Some More of God’s Greatest Mistakes.” And who is this God person, anyway? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/57 "2017-01-19T17:25:30Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > And as soon as the House of Representative grows some balls _In the year 2525…_ > [@](#): > > , and Trump crosses some threshold that even Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell can’t stomach, he won’t be our President. Given the things Trump has already done (see **madmonk** ’s post #12 for some examples), I’m not sanguine that there exists such a threshold for a Republican. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/58 "2017-01-19T17:30:10Z")
> [@ultimate11](#): > > By chance (people were asking about my clarity), I mean something like will you consider him the president or not? I will take him as president unless some evidence emerges that shows the election tallies were manipulated, which I consider extremely unlikely. And sure, of course, if something happens and after assuming office he happens to be a good president, well, that’s great and I’ll recant saying that he is going to be terrible. However, based on what he’s done so far, this seems extremely unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/59 "2017-01-19T17:31:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > File this under “Some More of God’s Greatest Mistakes.” > > And who is this God person, anyway? 😉 He did a nice job with the fjords. All those fiddle little bits… ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529/60 "2017-01-19T17:31:31Z")
I’m going to attempt to engage in an experiment. Upon waking tomorrow morning (Inauguration Day), I am going to begin to formulate my view of the new POTUS as if I have just woken from a 60-year coma, and have no concept of who Donald J. Trump is. I will not use historical information to color my new interpretation of who the man is. Instead, I will try to document an objective view of him based on public statements and policy positions put forth beginning tomorrow. I think this tabula rasa approach is probably the most fair (albeit nearly nonsensical) way to go about “giving him a chance!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-give-donald-trump-a-chance/777529.md?page=4)