Enquirer editorial board

On Thursday, the eyes of the nation will be on Cincinnati when President Donald Trump takes the stage at U.S. Bank Arena for his seventh visit to the region since announcing his presidential candidacy in 2015. Pundits will be watching and waiting for chants of "send them/her back" or some other trope that can be deemed offensive to prove a point and paint our city, state and the Midwest in a negative light.

Don't take the bait. We're asking you, Mr. President, your supporters and your detractors to set a new example for presidential visits. Setting an example not only includes people at the rally or protesting it, but those commenting about it on social media.

Let's do our part to dignify the debate about how best to improve our nation and the lives of all Americans. Perhaps if we can show the way, the rest of the country might follow suit. We know this appeal might sound naive, but we cannot stop expecting the best from ourselves or our president. Here are this editorial board's hopes for Thursday's rally.

The president made news this week with his criticism of Democratic U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings because of the poor conditions in parts of the congressman's district in Baltimore. Cincinnati, represented by two Republican congressmen and a senator, suffers from many of the same challenges as Baltimore – gun violence, poverty, blight, gentrification – just to a lesser degree. In fact, some of the most impoverished areas of our city border downtown where the president will be addressing a crowd of thousands.

Instead of casting blame and hurling insults at Democrats, the people of the Cincinnati region would appreciate hearing the specifics of the president's plan to address urban renewal. We would covet his insight on how to attract more businesses and investment to urban areas without displacing black, brown and, yes, white residents who call those places home. What are your ideas for creating more affordable housing? How can we all share in the prosperity of making America and our poorest neighborhoods great again? Surely, Thursday night's crowd would be interested in your thoughts and plans for these pressing issues, Mr. President.

Here's another pretty big topic the people of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky would love for you to delve into deeper: The Brent Spence Bridge. You promised voters back in 2016 that you would fix the crumbling bridge, perhaps the most crucial piece of infrastructure in the region, carrying 160,000 vehicles a day on Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River between Covington and Downtown Cincinnati. Those still holding onto hope that you will live up to your campaign promise would love a status update on the bridge while you're in town. For local companies and commuters, replacing that bridge is just as important as building that wall.

Finally, our region – indeed our country – needs a unifying voice right now, not a divisive one. For example, making U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley a target once again because you're in her hometown would not be a good move, Mr. President.

Frankly, the Queen City's had a rough patch recently. Two weeks ago, Cincinnati lost a beloved civil rights icon, Marian Spencer, at the age of 99. Spencer has been described by many as Cincinnati's "redeemer" and a "great uniter" of the races. On the heels of her death, our city was split last week along largely racial lines by the sentencing of ex-Judge Tracie Hunter to six months in jail.

America doesn't need to see another raucous and repetitious sideshow at this rally. And Cincinnati needs a voice of reason, of civility, of brotherhood to bring this community back together. We don't need more inflammatory rhetoric that puts us at one another's throats.

Loving this country doesn't have to mean hating those who might disagree with our individual politics – or one president for his policies. Let's all be on our best behavior and use this opportunity to remind the nation that despite our sometimes stark differences, Cincinnatians are united in wanting to create a more perfect union.