Letters: Weighing Donald Trump on women, taxes, history
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to attack House Speaker Paul Ryan and other "disloyal" Republicans for their lack of support. Credit: AFP / Getty Images / Paul J. Richards
I strongly disagree with your editorial regarding Donald Trump’s “locker room talk” about women [“Trump can’t dismiss this,” Editorial, Oct. 9]!
The “Access Hollywood” video is from 11 years ago, when he probably had no idea he would run for president in 2016. I’ve never been in a men’s locker room, but I can tell you that women talk about men even more graphically in their locker rooms and in beauty parlors with no men present.
This expose was a deliberate attempt to discredit his reputation and ability to lead our country out of the mess we are in. There are more important issues regarding the state of world affairs. The safety and economy of our country should be addressed.
Pat King, Merrick
The furor surrounding Donald Trump’s taxes is an indication of the ignorance of his detractors [“Trump, taxes and the code,” Editorial, Oct. 4].
Trump legally took advantage of existing tax laws, which so many others have done as well. He did so on a much larger scale because of the magnitude of his business.
Regarding his remarks about women, granted they were silly and macho, but people change. How many women has he employed in top positions in his company?
Joseph A. Porretta, Ridge
The most recent revelations of vile and degrading words and actions of Donald Trump illustrate just how broken and paralyzed Congress really is [“Speaker: I won’t help Trump,” News, Oct. 11].
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both Republicans who initially withheld support from Trump but ultimately endorsed him, expressed revulsion and disgust at Trump’s comments about women. And yet Ryan and McConnell haven’t completely withdrawn support for him.
What will it take for our elected representatives to show courage and a dedication to the tenets that made this the best nation on Earth?
Chris Marzuk, Greenlawn
Donald Trump and the Islamic State group have something in common. Both want to make bygone eras “great” again. They seem to loathe and fear the present world, with its complexity, diversity and profusion of choices.
The backward-looking attitudes of reactionaries tend to have apocalyptic, crisis-mentality mindsets and are willing to take extreme actions to go back to happier days.
The fact is, we can’t go back to the seventh century, when Islam began, or a time in Trump’s head when America was “great.” Time moves on. While it’s beneficial to learn from the past, one can’t reside there indefinitely.
Martin H. Levinson, Riverhead
