Via The New York Times
Re “Trump’s Taunts Aimed at TV Host Prompt Rebukes” (front page, June 30):
In a world of focus groups, polling and talking points, where even the slightest statement makes its rounds through one, two or three staff members, there are very few occasions in which we see the true character of our public officials. For the president of the United States, there is only one exception to that norm: Twitter.
Twitter is seemingly our only chance to see the real President Trump. If that is the case, then we have plenty of instances to work with. What we see is that the president is a misogynist, a conspiracy theorist and a liar, and he has a large ego, a thin skin, no filter and an unhealthy obsession with what the “fake news” media says about him.
The worst of his Twitter activity speaks for itself. Mr. Trump’s tweets about Alicia Machado, Megyn Kelly, Rosie O’Donnell and Mika Brzezinski all have one thing in common: They show that the Donald Trump that we saw in the “Access Hollywood” tape wasn’t Donald Trump in the midst of a lapse of judgment, but rather Donald being Donald.
LUKE STONE, JUNO BEACH, FLA.
To the Editor:
I spend a lot of time helping my young son and daughter learn to “use their words” to express their often overwhelming feelings and to stop and calm down before acting out of anger or hurt. I see the impact that television has on their emotions and behavior, and I try to help them manage what and how much they watch, and how to process their feelings when they turn the TV off.
President Trump’s most recent tweet is further evidence that he lacks these fundamental skills. I am saddened and alarmed by so many of our president’s policies, but I am terrified by his tweets. They illuminate our president’s impulsive, angry, vengeful inner life and his inability to manage his feelings. Who is there to help President Trump “stop and calm down” before deciding to take actions that jeopardize our collective existence? I fear that no one is.
MOLLY MARTIN, CLEVELAND
To the Editor:
I’m so bored with the whole Twitter debate.
First, he ain’t gonna stop. He’s Donald Trump. He does things Donald Trump’s way. His way won him the presidency, so stop with the unsolicited advice about tweets.
Second, we live in a new world. Social media rules here, and President Trump is using it to defend himself from an overtly antagonistic fake-news media.
Third, his supporters love the tweets. Maybe it’s the insouciance in the face of such fire-breathing criticism that we love. All the tweets put together don’t diminish the presidency as compared with Bill Clinton’s having sex with an intern in the Oval Office.
MARK ALESSE, KITTERY POINT, ME.
To the Editor:
The Times felt the need to have five separate stories related to President Trump’s pathetic tweets about Mika Brzezinski at the top section of the online news coverage? He is despicable, but surely there are far more newsworthy occurrences that should be attended to. Please stop featuring the nonsense and please cover the many real threats to freedom.
KAREN COULTER, ANN ARBOR, MICH.
To the Editor:
Regarding the latest disgusting, misogynistic, sexist tweets from the supposed leader of the free world, his motto must be – with apologies to Michelle Obama – “When they go low I go lower.”
CYNTHIA WEESE, EMPIRE, MICH.
Yes, Mark from Kittery Point, Maine, wants the Editor to know, that it’s Trump’s insouciance, his casual lack of concern, nonchalance, calm, equanimity, composure, ease and airiness that he brings to America and the world “in the face of such fire-breathing criticism,” that Trump’s supporters, just like Mark love.
For Karen from Michigan, who is definitely sick and tired of Trump, I have sad news: there is no greater threat to our freedom than a president who is literally unstable, not normal and unfit to carry out the duties of his office and who on a daily basis intentionally inflicts serious harm upon Americans and the stability of the world.
I am shaking my head in disbelief of the one writing above depicting Bill Clinton’s sex with an intern in the oval office as worse than the twitter behavior of Trump! Granted, Clinton showed a certain level of disrespect for the sanctity of the oval office but sex is actually a normal private behavior between granting individuals and don’t forget that Clinton eventually faced impeachment as a result of that entire encounter.
You are delusional if you seriously believe that “the whole twitter debate”, as you capsule the issues that ‘We, the people’ have with Trump’s overall behavior is diminished by sex between consenting adults! You can cherry-pick just the words from these other letter writers and have a far more cogent case of the damages to our society!
“True character, misogynist, conspiracy theorist, liar, large ego, thin skin, no filter, despicable, unhealthy obsession, lacks fundamental skills to calm down, impulsive, angry, vengeful, jeopardize our existence, disgusting and sexist”….oh, and even your own big word “insouciance” (lack of care or concern; indifference)!
No sir, WE don’t live in your world where tweets/social media rule. Nor do we necessarily agree with your comment “overtly antagonistic fake-news media” cause Trump to defend himself. It is not fake news simply because Trump does not like it and all this current discord began when the media reported the quote from his own public tweet. Again, your own words “he ain’t gonna stop” is precisely why we want him out of our White House.
And finally, again your own words – “his supporters love the tweets” – yes, we know…….
– Murphy
well, my take is a little different on that.
i think the most important point about the Clinton comparisons is that they are irrelevant.
this administration and its defenders habitually point to bad things other people did as an excuse for what Trump does.
that doesn’t make any more sense than it would make for me to get pulled over for drunk driving and tell the arresting officer the following: “sir, I shouldn’t go to jail for driving drunk because one time, someone stole a TV.”
100% agree! Like the rest of trump’s cult, they typically try to use some unrelated story to defend him when in fact their unrelated story only emphasizes they have no defense!
I simply could not resist pointing out to him how stupid it was AND that clinton ended up impeached. And since I was throwing in so much more of his own words to emphasize his own ignorance…..well, then, why not!?! 🙂
– Murphy
I think I was about 5 years old when my mother taught me that the excuse “Johnny gets to ….. (stay up late, not eat his peas, etc) doesn’t wash. She replied “if Johnny jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?”.
I guess young Donnie was off suing somebody when his mother was handing out words of wisdom.