Aaron Sorkin pens impassioned letter to daughter on Trump win

"The battle isn’t over, it’s just begun."
 By 
Laura Vitto
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In the wake of the 2016 election and Donald Trump's electoral victory, Aaron Sorkin published a fervent letter to his daughter Roxy and former wife Julia Sorkin admonishing Trump and vowing to fight for change both now and in the next election.

The filmmaker -- whose own White House-centric series The West Wing ran on NBC between 1999 and 2006 -- published his letter on Vanity Fair's website on Wednesday night.

Addressed to the "Sorkin Girls," the letter begins with a run-down of the current state of affairs, briefly detailing what a Trump win could mean for the economy, national security and minorities living in the U.S.

"For the next four years, the President of the United States, the same office held by Washington and Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, F.D.R., J.F.K. and Barack Obama, will be held by a man-boy who’ll spend his hours exacting Twitter vengeance against all who criticize him (and those numbers will be legion). We’ve embarrassed ourselves in front of our children and the world."

Sorkin turns toward the future later in the letter, pledging to "fucking fight" for the First Amendment, for equal rights and for people who don't have the kind of privilege that Sorkin's race and wealth have afforded him and his loved ones.

"Roxy, I know my predictions have let you down in the past, but personally, I don’t think this guy can make it a year without committing an impeachable crime. If he does manage to be a douche nozzle without breaking the law for four years, we’ll make it through those four years. And three years from now we’ll fight like hell for our candidate and we’ll win and they’ll lose and this time they’ll lose for good. Honey, it’ll be your first vote.

The battle isn’t over, it’s just begun. Grandpa fought in World War II and when he came home this country handed him an opportunity to make a great life for his family. I will not hand his granddaughter a country shaped by hateful and stupid men. Your tears last night woke me up, and I’ll never go to sleep on you again."

Read the letter in full on Vanity Fair.

BONUS: Shocked reactions following Donald Trump's presidential win

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Laura Vitto

Laura Vitto was Mashable's Deputy Culture Editor.

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