The White House holds a forum called “We the People.” Anyone can use this website to craft petitions for others to sign. Currently, the most popular petition requests that Trump release his tax returns. Over 508,440 people have signed it. The second most popular petition has over 160,800 signatures; it requests that Trump divest his business or place his assets in a blind trust. Fourth on the list is a request for Trump to resign, which over 60,040 people have signed.   

What “We the People” has not seen is a petition requiring Trump to respond to these requests. Unlike other online petitions, the White House created this page and could easily remove it, but they don’t. The page continues and Trump continues to ignore it. President Obama voluntarily responded to any petition with 100,000 signatures, but Trump is silent against half a million.      

Public policy should not be based on these petitions, but a mere response doesn’t require much. Perhaps a response from Trump will require us to embody “We the People.” Instead of petitions, we need to write letters to our representatives, engage in lawsuits, stand in protests and challenge our politicians for their seats. We need to make our presence known. No president is mandated to agree with the people, but this is the first time that one has tried to ignore them.