Renée Graham’s piece on “Impeachments, insurrection, indictments — and indifference from Trump’s followers” (Opinion, June 14) underscores a point that often is lost in the fog created by Donald Trump. Yes, it’s true that more than 60 million Americans voted for him in 2016. That was then, and this is now.
Some are worried that Trump and his base will take down the United States and turn it into a dictatorship. They should take some comfort in knowing that since 2016, Trump has shown us just how bad he really is. Many of us, even those who supported him in 2016, have caught on to the “Big Lie” about him. The proof is everywhere. Trump has lost at the polls, lost in court, and has been twice indicted. Many of those around him have been disgraced; some have gone to jail. Many among his Jan. 6 “army” have been prosecuted.
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Graham is correct that Trump’s base will never abandon him, but no one should think the 60 million Americans who voted for him in 2016 will do so again. I bet a large portion of that group, who probably voted against Hillary Clinton and not for Trump, are smart enough and concerned enough about our country that they won’t be fooled again. We must always keep our guard up when it comes to Trump and keep his followers in check, but signs that the rest of us are moving on are emerging every day. It’s OK if the Trump followers Graham refers to allow themselves to be victimized and fleeced by him. They are not the majority of Americans.
Thomas F. Maffei
Melrose
Jeff Jacoby’s column “Republicans aren’t rushing to Trump’s defense this time” (Opinion, June 10), only four days old, is not aging well.
Using the Alvin Bragg indictment for comparison, Jacoby suggests: “This time, the Republican universe isn’t rushing en masse to Trump’s defense.” He quotes three Republican presidential candidates, who need Trump to fail, as evidence of this break and concludes, “The political winds have shifted. … Leading Republicans are explicitly denouncing him.”
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Sadly, no. “Leading” Republicans have circled the wagons. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s silence gives his caucus cover to stay quiet or utter tepid critiques. Speaker Kevin McCarthy engages in the same duplicitous whataboutism as the Freedom Caucus. Those brave candidates? Many now declare that, if they win and Trump is convicted, they will pardon him — for violating the Espionage Act and obstructing justice.
I share Jacoby’s desire to find good intention among Republicans. We need them to shed the yoke of servitude to a man who keeps saying, falsely, that he has “every right” to hold state secrets as a private citizen and obstruct their lawful retrieval. As of now, however, the Republican Party has decided to hold Trump above the law. Let’s hope that a jury of his peers will not.
Gary Lubarsky
Amesbury
