By the time this letter is posted, the primary/runoff elections will be over and it’s off to the November general elections.
One thing is certain: Every local election for state/national office is a referendum on Donald Trump. While Trump’s popularity trajectory is falling, support remains firm with his core but declining base.
I’ve often been reminded by my MAGA friends to pay attention to what he does more than what he says, but I have difficulty reconciling the following (not sure how they do):
1. By his own reporting, Trump and his family have enriched themselves by $2 billion over the last year directly related to activities of the presidency; did you see Dusty Johnson’s recent email hailing his support for legislation limiting congressional members stock transactions? This is peanuts compared to what DJT has done.
2. Thanks to the Big, Beautiful Bill (among other things), the current year federal deficit is $1.8 trillion and federal debt has increased by $3 trillion to $39 trillion.
3. The Iranian war drags on with, at best, unclear end in sight and/or strategy in spite of every step of the way, communication from the White House that Iran has been pummeled into submission and is desperate for an agreement.
Yes, DJT supporters are right, don’t listen to what he says because it’s self-aggrandizing spin if not outright untruth. Remember when he said from the Oval Office that he had been contacted by a previous president who told him they wished they had taken the aggressive action of bombing Iran? An outright lie!
Irrespective of what he says, I do believe that one area of policy that will ultimately haunt his legacy and our country is DJT’s approach to energy and climate change.
What have the watchwords been? “Climate change is a hoax,” “Drill, baby drill,” “Coal, beautiful coal” and “Green Deal scam.”
And with those as anthems, DJT has ceded, if not surrendered, world leadership in green energy technology (e.g., electric vehicles and solar/battery technology) to China.
It won’t happen as long as MAGA flags are flying, but the U.S. will rue the day that we adopted that posture, and South Dakota will as well, given our investment in wind energy that DJT has been critical of and taken executive action to limit and reverse its development.
Bill Kubat
Sioux Falls
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I used to believe that the very people who continued to openly embrace Hitler and his goals, even after his ascent to power, were somehow misled by his propaganda...I was wrong...Their progeny are here supporting Trump even as his goals of self-enrichment have become crystal clear...
I cannot imagine a more despicable person than the orange clown in the White House, unless that could be a member of his family or cabinet. Next in line on the deplorable list are the cowards who aid and abet his corruption and insanity. We are the world's laughingstock for electing Trump once, let alone twice, and for letting a madman remain president. This regime is destroying our democracy!