Dear Editor:

As the 78-year-old, 34-time convicted felon Donald J. Trump prepares to assume office and become our nation’s 47th president on January 20th, 2025, it sadly appears that he has even less respect for the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law than previously, based on his plans to drastically alter U.S. domestic and foreign policy. As well as his announced proposed cabinet and administrative staff appointments, and such is strongly indicative that his ego driven motivation for revenge on his political adversaries while rewarding members of the billionaire class of which he is a member, who very strongly support him as he has long done them, simply does not bode well in the least for the future of our great country, as well as the world.

It is predicted that the proposed Trump tax cuts that are designed to primarily benefit the wealthiest among us by far while providing little specific evidence as to how they will be paid and other such proposals would add trillions more to our nation’s already extremely high $1.8 trillion budget deficit and that areas identified for possible significant cuts include such popular and beneficial programs such as Medicaid and food stamps as well as the elimination of the Affordable Care Act. This along with the planned imposition of placing high tariffs on incoming goods from our trading partners as well as the forced mass exodus of a multitude of immigrants from our country, many of whom have contributed significantly to the betterment of our economy could well place the U.S. in a significant long term downward financial spiral.

Recall that when Trump reluctantly left office in January 2021, after he without question legitimately lost the 2020 presidential election, he stated that the U.S. economy would tank under the incoming president Joe Biden however under the Biden administration the U.S. economy is currently the envy of the world as the Stock Market has never been higher in its history, more private sector jobs have been added to the economy in over 50 years and the unemployment rate is presently at a near all-time low.

In addition it appears that a great many of incoming president Trump’s proposed cabinet and administrative picks are woefully unqualified and lacking the necessary experience and have very concerning personal and professional histories to the extent never before seen in our nation’s history, as it appears quite obvious that experience knowledge and professionalism are not priorities for Trump requiring only an unflinching personal loyalty to him which must supersede any loyalty they may have to the U.S.

In closing, I equate the persona of Mr. Trump to be amazingly quite similar to that of the character of Eddie Haskell as brilliantly portrayed by Ken Osmond on the iconic television series ” Leave it to Beaver” which aired on television from 1957 to 1963 with reruns of the program continuing to appear on TV in which the Eddie Haskell character constantly promoted the image that he was the” Center of the Universe” who was all knowing and could do no wrong, much like that of the “reality show” personality type of Mr. Trump.

As a result, I am most concerned as to what the ego driven, anti fact-based reality that our incoming president will have on our country as well as the world.

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry