A landlord in Colorado refuses to rent his two-bedroom apartment to anyone who supports presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Mark Holmes placed an ad in The Nickel, a free paper in Grand Junction, that read, “For rent: Downtown apartment, 2 bedrooms. Includes organic garden space, hot tub, great backyard. You can bring your dogs if they have references as good as yours. If voting for Donald Trump, do not call.”
Holmes explained his reasoning behind the specific political requirement in his ad. He told the Daily Sentinel that he simply doesn’t know what to do anymore about the possibility of a Trump presidency; he does not want to share a roof with anyone who subscribes to Trump’s rhetoric, which includes controversial comments about Muslims, immigrants, and many other groups.
“I’m living in the top part of the house,” Holmes said. “I don’t want anybody that even thinks that Donald Trump can be a good president to live in my home.”
Holmes was very aware of the large presence of Trump supporters in Grand Junction. In August, Grand Junction featured a billboard that depicted Donald Trump as a knight in shining armor slaying a dragon labeled such things as “Libtards,” “NSA,” “Muslims,” “Iran,” “GLBT,” and many more.
In response to the advertisement, the landlord began receiving a number of angry phone calls regarding his blatant “discrimination,” one caller even claiming that Holmes was violating federal housing rules. However, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stood up for the landlord, stating it is not illegal to discriminate against tenants because of political beliefs. Jerry Brown, spokesperson for the HUD, commented, “That has nothing to do with the Fair Housing Act. But that seems to be a first, and it’s original.”
While many liberal-minded individuals may have sympathy towards Holmes, completely understanding his frustration, some wonder if it’s messages such as this that are further pulling the country apart. The average American moves about 12 times in his or her life; with the political rift dividing states and even counties, how difficult will it be to comfortably move around the country in the future? Are the United States no longer united?