Yes, we're friends. We've been friends for a long time.

[Granted, there were, oh, sixteen years in there that he didn't know anything about. But half of his lifetime to date was still a long time.]

Good. That's all I ask, that you don't hurt him. If you don't agree with his policies or whatever else, find a way to tell him without resorting to violence. He'll listen to you. He may not agree with you or do what you say, but he'll listen to you.