An open letter to the First Family
Dear Trump children,
We welcome your families to Aspen! We hope that when stepping off the plane, you all paused to take in the crisp Colorado mountain air and breathed in the scents of sage and pinon. Did it remind you of your visits here while growing up? We trust, once again, you’ll be awestruck by the spectacular.
This is our home and we gladly share it with hundreds of thousands of visitors like you every year. As a tourist destination, it’s a privilege to represent our great country and its people. We take great pride in this responsibility. While you’re here, will you be skiing on one of our beautiful mountains or will you opt for a bike ride, a hike or a walk on the golf course? Sadly, we can offer the latter options because temperatures are several degrees above normal, and the snow is melting early season. We’ve witnessed this pattern too many times.
Everything we hold dear is at risk with drastic climate change — our health, our jobs … and our souls. We come in peace, because we live in peace and ask a huge favor of you: Please ask your father to protect and preserve that which nurtures all of our inner beauty. If sound science is ignored, smart policies protecting Mother Earth and the environment are gutted and public lands are abused; not only will our world get ugly, so will our inner beauty — and yours. Tell us, what will be left for our children?
During your stay, if you see people wearing pussy hats or holding signs that upset you, please register what the messages are and who they are coming from. They are children, moms and dads, hoteliers, shopkeepers, lift ops and ski instructors, self-proclaimed ski bums, volunteers, people of many faiths, musicians, artists and gallery owners, construction workers, bankers, waiters and waitresses, architects, real estate agents and faithful city employees. They are old and young, rich and not so rich. They are locals and immigrants. And they worry about what we hope you worry about — their family’s future and the health of the world we all share.
Please consider this as you gaze up at the bluest of blue skies and feel the warmth of the sun on your face during your visit. We hope you enjoy your stay and experience the magic of Aspen and that you are able to share this experience with generations to come.
Indivisible Aspen