January 20th, 2017
Dear Change in Washington Readers:
Prior to November 10th, 2016, I had never written a letter to a President or President-Elect of the United States. Now, I have written over seventy of them. I decided to do so on November 10th to address a need I felt to do what I could to influence the political dialogue in America. A daily letter to President Trump provided that medium. However, the letters weren’t just intended for him. They are for all of us. We must elevate our vision and practice in the public square. We will never solve our many problems without doing so.
I have been gratefully surprised by the response that I have had from those of you who have reached out to me with your comments. Thank you. I hope that The Trump Letters, as I call them, have been helpful to you. The process of writing them has been enormously beneficial to me. I have learned and grown through the process.
The capacity of the Internet to reach people all over the world, instantaneously, amazes me. While The Trump Letters were not widely read, by Internet standards, that was never the point. The point was to write a message of hope that might be a helpful voice to those who actually read them. Far from being viral, The Trump Letters were read a bit more than 20,000 times. What astonishes me most, however, is the diversity of readers. Readers in 103 nations found their way to The Trump Letters.
It underscores for me a basic truth: That people are the same everywhere. Whether we’re from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, or Australia—we are all generally alike. We each want to love our families, provide for our children, have good health, and feel needed. We generally believe in a supreme being. We hope and pray for peace and prosperity—however, we define it. The Trump Letters reaching 103 nations through word of mouth convinces me that we do all hope for similar things. The reason behind that is simple. While we have different skin colors, national customs, religious beliefs, and a host of other differences—we are all children of the same creator.
Some have suggested that I continue the site, in one form or another. Others have suggested that I publish the collection of letters into a bound volume. I will decide those questions in the coming months.
I join you all in praying for the well-being of President Trump and his family and also for Former President and Mrs. Obama in their transition to a new phase of their lives.
Thank you again for supporting this effort.
Sincerely,
David O. Leavitt
