In 2015 Donald Trump disparaged the service of a true American hero when he attacked John McCain. He doesn’t understand what it means to selflessly serve one’s country. In “A Very Stable Genius,” Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig describe a stop at Pearl Harbor en route to Asia in which the first couple toured the USS Arizona Memorial. “‘Hey John, what’s this all about? What’s this a tour of?’ asked Trump.”
While I did not serve in the military, my father, a proud naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated as a boy from Germany, served in the U.S. Navy fighting the Nazis in World War II.
Stuart Stevens wrote, “in the Trump years, Republicans have sent a message that lying is useful and productive, racism is acceptable, the press is the enemy, and a strong-man authoritarian head of government is ideal” (“It Was All A Lie — How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump”).
Add the (alleged) disparagement of our military to the list of Trump offenses. My message to Trump, his family, friends, supporters and the Trump Republicans is simple: Go to hell.
Rudolph Fillinger
Valencia
