President Trump and his supporters have been talking, rather loudly, against those who are against Trump. They claim speaking against the leader of the U.S. makes the nation look weak and every decision Trump makes that is not supported discredits him. Of course, the American people who do not Trump do discredit him, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The First Amendment protects the right for all citizens to speak up against injustices in the nation. Therefore, if someone speaks against the president, they are simply exercising their right. If a country does not allow any sort of negative speech about how it runs, it is then that it becomes a dictatorship. Since the start of government, speaking negatively about the way things were running is the sign of a healthy relationship. The reason America is where it is today is because of brave colonists yelling angrily at their British overlords for not doing what was in their best interests. That is not to say that modern American people should revolt against a president because they share a different set of political beliefs, but they should not be afraid to speak loudly against things this nation does that they do not believe in.

The president is the face of this country. Therefore, the administration is expected to act accordingly. Presidential behavior does not include missing a World War I memorial event because of the rain or tweeting “SAD!” about anything that he does not agree with. Simply because he is the president does not mean that he does not get to exercise his rights, but this does not make him immune to backlash. That being said, part of what allows the American people to be disrespectful toward the president is because of his level of disrespect toward others. Part of the reason celebrities are so comfortable screaming negatively toward the president is because Trump is constantly screaming negatively towards everyone else, from the media to Democrats.

In a nation where hate is loud and rampant, citizens should remember that speaking out against the government is one of the most patriotic things you could do. By drawing attention to the things that are going wrong, it shows that people care about the nation and want it to improve. As long as those who are speaking against the nation are not simultaneously selling secrets to the nation’s enemies, then chances are their words are in the nation’s best interest.