Opinion: For the sake of the country, Republicans must wise up to the fact that Trump will never be presidential

To the editor: Not often one to agree with Jonah Goldberg, I commend him for voicing thoughts privately held by many fellow conservatives. (“All Trump has to do is sound presidential to get everything he wants. Instead, he logs on to Twitter,” Opinion, March 6)

President Trump’s GOP faithful exulted over his recent “presidential” reading of speechwriters’ words off of a teleprompter, only to despair days later when he couldn’t resist firing off a loony tweet barrage.

So Goldberg, in essence, asks: If Trump can’t help himself, how can he help us?

Good question, which leads to a more consequential one: If Republican leaders can’t bring themselves to condemn Trump’s chronic lack of composure and veracity, how can our noble democratic experiment be saved?

Sandra Perez, Santa Maria

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To the editor: I was appalled by Goldberg describing Trump’s speech to Congress as presidential. The bar is set too low for this president.

Trump put a grieving widow in the gallery for the world to see her pain, which was caused by this president’s reckless decision to send her husband on a dangerous military operation. He veered off script to talk about the applause her late husband received. In that moment, he desecrated the soldier.

I am an Israeli-born woman living in the U.S., and if Trump had said this to the Israeli Knesset, he would have been booed off the stage. A death of a soldier is sacred and should never be belittled by mentioning applause.

Trump should go back to “The Apprentice” and receive all the applause he deserves as a showman. Presidential he is not.

Nona Horowitz, Los Angeles

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