Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, Reps. Rob Bishop, Mia Love and Chris Stewart: When, oh when, are you and your Republican colleagues going to acknowledge that a mistake has been made? We have elected a president who is unfit, by temperament and experience, to lead our nation. The evidence accumulates without relief.
During the campaign, he bragged about sexually assaulting women. Shortly after taking office, he offended China by first making contact with Taiwan; squabbled with the leaders of Mexico and Australia; chilled our relationship with Germany; insulted NATO nations; had to cancel a state visit to Britain out of fear of mass protests; leaked highly classified information to Russian diplomats; and, to worldwide disappointment, pulled out of the Paris climate accord. The damage to our reputation as a global leader has been substantial.
Many of his Cabinet appointments were ill-considered. Betsy DeVos of Education, Rick Perry of Energy and Ben Carson of Housing and Urban Development have scant experience in their areas of responsibility. Scott Pruitt, director of the Environmental Protection Agency, has little interest in protecting the environment.
In recent weeks, Trump squandered an opportunity to denounce neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan; continued his unending attack on the media in an unstatesmanlike tantrum at a Phoenix rally that included a childlike threat to close down government if he is not granted funding for a border wall; and, under cover of news reporting a monster hurricane, pardoned an Arizona ex-sheriff convicted of contempt of court for racial profiling, signaling, perhaps, more pardons to come as collusion investigations proceed.
Nowadays, he is feuding with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, the key players in moving legislation through our system of government, a circumstance that does not bode well for the success of his administration.
You may have thought, dear Utah delegation, that, after taking office, he would mature, straighten out and fly right, but he has not, and your silence is the opposite of leadership. Please rein him in or find a way to relieve him of the power of the presidency before he does permanent damage.
Allan W. Smart
Salt Lake City