An Open Letter to Jesuit-Educated Supporters of Trump

 I teach at one of the 28 Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States.  I have noticed that some alumni from my school and some current students have decided to vote for Trump in this presidential election.  In light of the Jesuit principles taught at these schools, I am unclear as to why.  Let me highlight three of these principles and ask you to think about them in relation to your support for Trump.

Principle 1:  Cura Personalis.  This principle, loosely translated, means care for the whole person.  To embody this principle means that one seeks to understand and express empathy and care for the people one encounters.  For me, this means making sure that my students know that I do not see them solely as means to my ends but as persons with intellect, emotions, relationships, and needs.  I will seek to try to understand them as best I can and teach in such a way as to enable them to be their best selves.

Donald Trump has bullied those who disagree with him.  His misogynist tendencies lead him to treat many women as objects for his own sexual desires, engaging in unwanted touching, walking into dressing rooms of half-dressed teenage beauty contestants, and even downright sexual assault.  If they do not meet his standards of beauty, they are fat, ugly, even pigs.  He mocked the physical disability of a disabled journalist.  He dismissed the sacrifice of a Muslim American soldier and tried to bully the soldier’s parents, which he was unable to do.  He calls immigrants from Mexico rapists and murderers and he suggests that all Muslim Syrian refugees are nothing but terrorists.  He encourages bigotry, racism, and violence against those who challenge him.  He feigns interest in the plight of the working class but in every instance where he had a chance to make the lives of working class people better—through paying taxes, honoring his debts to workers on his projects—he took the money and ran leaving others to clean up his mess.  How do any of these actions embody this Jesuit principle?  Does this not matter to you?

Principle 2:  Magis.  This principle is often translated as “the more,” but it is best translated as the better.  When faced with numerous obligations and commitments, one should discern which of those things will contribute to the common good for all and commit oneself to those actions which will best bring it about.

Donald Trump has argued for more (make America great again, etc.) but his actions suggest that “the more” he wants is whatever aggrandizes him.  His narcissistic tendencies have been on display his entire life.  He seeks to promote the “Trump” brand every chance he gets, putting it on buildings, on universities, on reality television.  If anyone challenges his name or brand, he sues them in court.  If he stands to lose millions of dollars in his business ventures, he structures them in such a way that the losses go to others not him, or failing that he can at least claim those losses to avoid paying taxes that benefit the common good.  He uses the proceeds of his fame and fortune to buy airplanes with his name on them, yachts, and to adorn his penthouse suite in Trump Tower in gold.  How does his lavish lifestyle communicate anything other than self-interest and self-gain to you?  Doesn’t the common good matter?

Principle 3: “Men and Women for Others.”  The goal of Jesuit education is to develop persons who, regardless of their chosen vocation, look at how their actions not only benefit themselves but also those with whom they encounter.  Some take this principle and devote their lives to the service of others.  But at the very least this principle encourages all persons never to seek only their own good but always the good of others.

Donald Trump contends that his business practices have contributed to the communities in which he has engaged in development projects:  through taxes, through increased employment, and the like.  This may be so.  But his focus was never on what was good for others, save perhaps for his family, but only what was good for himself.  When his business dealings went sour, such as the Atlantic City casinos, he made sure that he went away with millions of dollars, leaving his creditors with nothing and his investors holding the bag.  The “university” he started with his name defrauded many people, making promises he knew would never be kept.  His family foundation takes money from others to distribute but he contributes little to nothing.  Even then he uses part of those charitable funds to purchase portraits of himself.  Even during the presidential campaign, he made sure to bring journalists and others to his properties, such as the hotel in Washington, in the hopes of bringing them business.  He prides himself on paying no federal taxes which contribute to programs that provide job training, health care, and services to those who live at the margins of our economy, the very people he says he wants to represent.  The policies he proposes will only make the inequity that dominates our lives worse.  Some will say that he will appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe V. Wade and end abortion once again.  Even if this could happen, it may criminalize abortion, but it won’t end it.  But this ignores the fundamental reality that most abortions occur for economic reasons.  When people are not desperate, the abortion rate drops precipitously.  How can you ignore these realities?

I imagine that some of you are voting for Trump because he is the Republican nominee and you support your party.  But why then are so many of your party’s leaders and rank and file running from his candidacy, concerned about the negative qualities he embodies and the threat to the party and to the country he poses?  Doesn’t your Jesuit education lead you to share their concerns? 

Of course, you have the right to vote for whomever you want and I support that right.  My question to you is this:  after this election is over, whether Trump wins or loses, can you honestly say that the person for whom you voted represents the best ideals of your Jesuit education?  Or do those ideals even matter to you anymore?