I wonder what my Grandfather (Poppa) would’ve thought of President Trump if he was alive.

When The Apprentice was on TV and we’d all tell him what a great show it was, he’d twist up his face and say, “He’s a skunk! His father was good, but he’s a skunk!”

He knew first hand what The Donald was like because Poppa was a bricklayer for his father, Fred Trump. Some would say Fred wasn’t necessarily a “good” man, but apparently he treated his employees well.

But according to Poppa, Donald would show up on the job site to throw his weight around and basically act like a jerk, earning him the monicker, “THE SKUNK”.

After he told us the story the first time, it turned into a game for us to see if we could get him to yell, “He’s a skunk!” And he never let us down 😂

That was the greatest thing about Poppa. He never let anyone down.

He’d drive from North Babylon to Brooklyn at the drop of a hat if his sister needed home repairs. It was nothing for him to be up on her roof at 80 years old, fixing shingles.

He loved his sisters and mother so much that he often acted as a defender for them. The stories I’ve heard bring tears to my eyes.

And he loved his own family just as much. He busted his ass every day to provide for them. When he wasn’t at work, it was in his spare time.

And man was he talented. The work he put into our house to create the most beautiful brick creations: an enormous backyard patio with a woodshed underneath; an outdoor kitchen and built-in barbecue; a brick lined driveway with lanterns flanking the end.

But the pièce de résistance was our clubhouse. He built me and Tara a room attached to the side of our house; complete with insulation, sliding windows, a long storm window with a screen within the wood door that opened and closed with a latch, carpeting, wood paneling, and a roof to match our house.

He was the type that when I told him I loved him, he’d say, “Yeah, me too, me too.” but then show his love by building us a masterpiece.

When both my parents were working, he’d pick me up from school if I got sick. His big navy blue Ford Thunderbird was a sight for sore eyes in the parking lot. I can still smell the white leather seats in my mind.

Poppa was a gentleman. I never once heard him curse in the company of women. I never heard him say a racist word. Yes, I heard him bickering with my grandmother over things like the price of pickles, but I have a feeling that’s just how their marriage worked because … well let’s just say they got “caught” when they were in their 70s 😂

He was also generous. He was the first person some would go to when they mismanaged their own money. As tough as he was, he couldn’t say no. I’m sure he was taken advantage of many, many times because of his charity.

This was my Poppa. And although I can’t speak for him, I also can’t imagine that the same man – who my mother recalled seeing devastated when Kennedy was shot – would be pleased by the mockery that Donald Trump has made of this country.

If I had the chance to ask Poppa his opinion of President Trump, once again, I don’t think he’d let me down. I’m pretty sure he’d still say “HE’S A SKUNK!!!”