Opinion: The 9th Circuit caused Trump to short circuit — and readers pounced

From the moment Donald Trump was elected president to just after his inauguration, most of the letters discussing the 45th president did so in ominous terms. Trump, some of the writers warned, bore troubling similarities to certain 20th century strongmen, including his hostility to critical news coverage and an independent judiciary.

Now, with that very judiciary handing Trump multiple defeats and the president taking to Twitter to vent his anger, many of the letters have taken on a more jeering tone. The warnings about America sliding into autocracy are still there, but the harshest Trump critics appear to have adopted a new strategy: Hit the president while he’s down.

Here are some of their letters.

Beverly Hills resident Daniel Fink opts for short and confrontational, and in a style that ought to be familiar to Trump:

Moments after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused on Thursday to stay a lower court ruling putting the president’s travel ban on hold, Trump tweeted, “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE.”

We tell him, “WE WILL SEE YOU IN THE STREETS. THE SURVIVAL OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA IS AT STAKE.”

Ellis Kirschenbaum of Santa Monica gives some backhanded praise to Trump:

I appreciate the fact that Trump’s reaction to his 9th Circuit loss (“see you in court”) recognizes the appellate process and judicial review.

And I resent the fact that I was actually concerned he would not do so.

Jay Slater of Los Angeles offers the president some personnel advice:

Now that Trump has been slapped down by the 9th Circuit, what is next?

True to form, Trump said he would take this to the Supreme Court. While I hate to help out this inept White House cabal, here is what he should do.

First, fire advisor Stephen K. Bannon for his outrageous coup to place himself on the National Security Council by slipping it by a disinterested Trump and his foolish construct of the blatant Muslim ban that got Trump in this jam.

Next, fire advisor Kellyanne Conway for her blatant and illegal shilling for Ivanka Trump’s clothing line and her outrageous fabrication of the “Bowling Green massacre,” a complete fiction aimed at justifying the Muslim Ban.

Trump loves to change the subject, and firing these two inept and dangerous appointees would create so much coverage he could take the time to figure out a real way to safeguard the nation.

Thousand Oaks resident Betty Fuhrmann says that something about Trump’s signing of the executive order last month didn’t sit right:

Has anyone noticed the irony of Trump, with two of his closest cabinet members, signing the immigration executive order last month with a sculpture of the Statue of Liberty on the wall behind him?

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