I won’t get into disputing details of the list of successes attributed to former President Trump, which were submitted by letter writer Pamela Brant to Voice of The People on March 16. Millions of voters in the United States feel that Trump supports the causes that they themselves believe in, which explains the votes he received in 2016.

What really caught my eye, as I read the letter, was her inclusion of his too-little, too-late response to events on Jan. 6, 2021, as one of three negatives she found in Trump. That is awfully mild criticism. Such ready dismissal of the man’s behavior helps explain why millions of voters would again cast ballots for a person who disdains everything the ballot box stands for, especially its results.

“Presently, Putin’s in control. He holds all the cards. Trump card, anyone?” ends the letter. This implies that the former president would be able to wile President Putin with his charms. I picture only one charmer in that scene, and one snake. Watch the video from The Helsinki Summit of 2018 and see Putin grin like a giggly toddler as the former leader of the free world says, when asked about interference in the 2016 election, “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.” You might then revisit Trump’s televised Abbott and Costello clarification the next day. I guess he was having trouble divining the finer points of the double negative.

Michael F. Conley Jr.
Portland

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