To the Editor:

Glittering gold and gleaming glass

Dominating the miserable humans

Huddled in the shadows

Of the Trump Tower.

This is Donald Trump’s vision, as revealed to me in the summer of 1984.

I was 20 years old and I will never forget it. I grew up in Franklin and, by the blessing of a college scholarship, I was working as a summer intern with the Hartford Police Department. I had the opportunity to explore New York one weekend. The Trump Tower had opened just the year before, and I could hardly believe that someone could build a tower of gold. I had to see it for myself.

Before I could get to the tower, however, I had to pass by a gauntlet of homeless, desperate human beings who lay desolate before the gleaming tower. The poor will always be among us, but I was struck deeply by the contrast of immense apparent wealth and the desperation of those who clung to its periphery. 

I could not escape the question: if you can build a tower of gold, what can you do to alleviate suffering? I could not escape Trump’s apparent answer: nothing.

When I drew closer to the tower, I realized that it was not really gold. By all accounts, it appears golden in color, but on closer inspection, it is built of brass, glass and mirrors. I took the interior escalator up several flights, and was amazed at the high-end boutiques. I could not afford anything offered, so I left empty-handed. But, not alone.

My friend, Andy was with me. He saw what I saw. He is now a physician. He heals people and supports missionaries. 

To all who will hear, please know that our choices matter. Lives can be blessed, or they can be ignored. I know what I saw. And, now he wants to govern us all. I cannot be silent. Leave Trump to his tower and America will be greater than ever. We are only as strong as our weakest link. But they, like most of us, live outside the Trump Tower.

Fred H. Jones

Franklin