Opinion: Stop the bad-mouthing, give Trump a chance

The continual hatred of Donald Trump is only dividing America more. PHOTO/FILE

The US presidential election is long over and the President-Elect will be sworn in next week but you'd be forgiven for thinking we were still in the middle of arguably the most brutal election campaign the world has seen.

The attacks on Donald Trump have far from ceased since the election in November.

I'm no fan of Trump but we can't continue like this.

We can't continue the attacks on his credibility and his personality, which made up such a large part of the election campaign, for the next four years.

That will only contribute to the demise of America so many already fear.

There's nothing any one can do about it now. No matter how much people whinge, no matter how many movie stars bad-mouth him, he will be President for at least the next four years.

We need to give him a chance.

This continual hatred is only dividing America more. It is doing no good for the morale of the country (or the world).

It only undermines the country, seen by many as the world's greatest power, and the whole system of democracy.

It is not going to inspire Trump to knuckle down and work for the good of the whole nation - it will only distract him from what is really important.

I was pleasantly surprised watching his acceptance speech after Clinton conceded on election night.

He was modest and spoke of a united America.

He commended Hillary Clinton and said the country owed her "a major debt of gratitude for her service".

He then went on to say: "Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division...To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

"I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be President for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country."

It is not the Trump we had seen during the campaign (or since, for that matter) and it was not what I expected, but it gave me hope.

People around the world, and particularly in America, need to give him the benefit of the doubt and get behind him.

I imagine the concept of becoming the President of the United States is a somewhat daunting one, even for the likes of Trump.

It can't hurt to show him some support and hope for the best - give him a chance.

It remains to be seen whether he will actually go through with some of the things he said, or if he will get the support needed to do so.

I'm by no means asking people to lie down and be silent on the issues which affect America and the world.

Continue to tell Trump what you want. Continue to fight for the issues you believe are important.

Just stop attacking Trump's character and his past mistakes and give him a chance to prove his worth as president.

My advice for Trump, for what it's worth: Listen to your country - have an open mind and be willing to change your stance on issues and admit you were wrong if need be; aim to represent all people - no matter what race; and, take criticism on the chin.

As President you are going to come under fire from someone for every decision you make. Listen to it, consider whether there is any merit to it (if there is, do something about it), but don't take it personally.

Don't waste your breath fighting back - it's not worth the effort.

That effort would be better spent doing what you can to make America great again and make the world a better place.

When Trump takes the stage on January 20 to be sworn in, let's show him the respect deserved by the leader of one of the world's most powerful countries.

Let's give him a chance.