To The Editor:

This past month a long-time marketing executive at NBC expressed his regrets for “creating a monster” when he sold the country on the narrative that the super-successful businessman on “The Apprentice” was letting the world in on his business acumen. In reality, the man had a string of failed business ventures and four bankruptcies (there would be two more before the show’s last season). It was all fake. Just like the hired supporters that cheered for him as he famously rode the escalator down to where he announced his first run for president. Though the economy in 2016 had been on an upward trend since 2010, more Americans felt the “successful businessman” could make things better. If you keep repeating the lie, it will be perceived as truth.

The “businessman” continued to show us who he is with dozens of CVS receipts worth of incidents of degrading his office and fellow Americans while embarrassing America abroad. Don’t take my word for it. Just ask the several professionals who worked closest to him in his administration. Former Defense Secretary, Mark Esper called him a “threat to democracy.” His former chief of staff, John Kelly mentioned he “has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and rule of law.” There are also over 100 Republicans who have served in Congress, as defense secretaries and national security officials in previous administrations who cosigned a letter to the public that describes the current nominee as “unfit to serve again as president.” Of course, we can figure that out for ourselves by paying attention to his increasingly bizarre and dehumanizing rhetoric.

And yet, this twice impeached, 34 times convicted, many times accused of sexual assault former president, is still being marketed as the one who will fix whatever ails our country. The economy is getting stronger in many factors, yet we should hand the keys over to the one who’s own business has been losing market value in this record bull market? Whether it’s offering a box of blank papers as a plan to fix healthcare or saying he wants to use the military on American citizens who disagree with him, he is showing us who he is. Patriotic Republicans who have tried to hold the former president accountable have been drummed out of their own party. The party that marches in lockstep with him shows us who they are. It’s about time we started believing them.

Alenda Calderbank

Sandy Hook