To the Editor:
The Republican convention has shown how Trump’s supporters see him: as keeping promises (replacing Obamacare? building the Wall? rebuilding infrastructure?), as a strong “law and order” leader (“dominating” the streets—except in Charlottesville).
They say cops have gunned down whites as well as Blacks, so the George Floyd incident was overblown. They say since the virus kills mostly old people, it’s “a lot less severe” than initially feared—no reason to shut down bars or mass gatherings, or to wear masks.
They dismiss as “irrelevant” aspects of Trump’s character that make him unfit for office. They say we should take his bullying and lying with a grain of salt. All politicians lie, they say. Evangelicals overlook his moral lapses since he opposes abortion.
But let’s see the facts. Trump has shattered the norms of presidential behavior with racist tweets and divisive policies, taking lying to a new level, using federal agencies to advance personal interests, appointing corrupt “interim” officials, decrying the press as “enemy of the people,” undermining confidence in government agencies, science, and the validity of our votes.
His delay, then denial of any responsibility, in addressing the pandemic cost many thousands of lives that might have been spared had he displayed the leadership expected of a President. And his inaction brought the economy, which had been continuing its Obama growth, to its knees.
Yet he says he is our protector. How would he handle the next pandemic?
Don Nolte
Exeter, N.H.
Don:
We make every effort to remain calm and optimistic, but the situation you hypothesize—another, different pandemic, during a Trump second term—that’s giving us the fantods.
The Editor