Las Vegas Sun

May 16, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Trump not a true Republican

As a Republican, I am appalled that so many people in my party are thinking about nominating someone who has shown by his conduct that he doesn’t support Republican values.

Republicans believe in reigning in government spending. Yet former President Donald Trump in his four years ran up almost as much debt as Barack Obama did in eight. We can’t complain about out-of-control spending from Obama or President Joe Biden when Trump’s record was just as egregious.

Republicans believe in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. Yet Trump attempted to subvert the Constitution by trying to get then-Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to nullify the will of the electors. No matter what one believes about the fairness of the 2020 election, there’s no justification for seeking to overturn it by illegal means.

Now, unbelievably, Trump is trying to defend his conduct by arguing that, unless the president is found guilty in an impeachment trial, he can’t be held liable for crimes committed in office. Trump actually thinks the president is above the law.

The Republican party used to say “character matters.” Do we still believe that? Or is it just about advancing our agenda by any means possible? Nominating Trump again would show that we have lost our moral compass and are not worthy of the trust of the American people.