Politics

Man with 17 million worldwide followers tells Trump “The hateful one is you”

Mar 15, 2016

He runs one of the world’s most popular Facebook pages ‘Humans of New York’ and now he’s stepped out from behind the camera to share his thoughts on the contentious political frontrunner Donald Trump.

Many people don’t know the face of Humans of New York, however they will know Brandon Stanton from his posts that often get shared hundreds of thousands of times. He features real people from all over New York and tells their unique story.

The compassion of the journalist and photographer is clear through what he puts on his page however this is one of the first times he’s made a personal post.

In the scathing open letter to the man many believe (and fear) will be the next president of the United States, Mr Stanton wrote:

Mr. Trump,

I try my hardest not to be political. I’ve refused to interview several of your fellow candidates. I didn’t want to risk any personal goodwill by appearing to take sides in a contentious election. I thought: ‘Maybe the timing is not right.’ But I realize now that there is no correct time to oppose violence and prejudice. The time is always now. Because along with millions of Americans, I’ve come to realize that opposing you is no longer a political decision. It is a moral one.

I’ve watched you retweet racist images. I’ve watched you retweet racist lies. I’ve watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy. I’ve watched you joyfully encourage violence, and promise to ‘pay the legal fees’ of those who commit violence on your behalf. I’ve watched you advocate the use of torture and the murder of terrorists’ families. I’ve watched you gleefully tell stories of executing Muslims with bullets dipped in pig blood. I’ve watched you compare refugees to ‘snakes,’ and claim that ‘Islam hates us.’

I am a journalist, Mr. Trump. And over the last two years I have conducted extensive interviews with hundreds of Muslims, chosen at random, on the streets of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees across seven different countries. And I can confirm— the hateful one is you.

Those of us who have been paying attention will not allow you to rebrand yourself. You are not a ‘unifier.’ You are not ‘presidential.’ You are not a ‘victim’ of the very anger that you’ve joyfully enflamed for months. You are a man who has encouraged prejudice and violence in the pursuit of personal power. And though your words will no doubt change over the next few months, you will always remain who you are.

Sincerely,
Brandon Stanton

Comments on the post are largely in agreement, with one of the top comments saying “From every other part of the world, we are wondering how he is even getting so many votes!”

Others say, “Thank you, Brandon. We need more LOVE and KINDNESS in this world, not hate and fear. You have shown us that!”