As COVID-19 cases and deaths skyrocket in America, hospitals are overwhelmed and the economy has collapsed, President Trump has retreated even further into denial, blaming everyone but himself for the fix we are in. His latest self-serving actions are making matters worse, such as reducing funds for testing and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and character assassination of COVID experts. Most disastrously, Trump has relinquished centralized oversight of pandemic efforts, creating a patchwork of inconsistent state rules for masks, testing, data collection and treatment protocols. We are in a free fall.

Even if you believe that Trump will lose the next election, the question arises: Can we last until the new president takes over? If you think not, you must call for Donald Trump to resign immediately. We must start now to repair the damage he has wrought.

This is not unprecedented. President Richard Nixon, after a visit by high-ranking Republicans to the White House, finally understood that his downfall was inevitable and that he should resign. Yes, we have an election in a matter of months, but we also have the right to speak up for mitigation of further disaster. A new delegation of responsible Republican leaders, including our own senator, must make that sad journey down Pennsylvania Avenue again.

Maine may seem like an oasis in this nightmare. But the virus knows no boundaries. We are one nation and one world when it comes to the pandemic. Donald Trump and his yes-men minions must resign now.

Janice Cooper

Democratic state representative

Yarmouth

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