Letters to the Editor: Trump won. His critics are better off pondering why than attacking him

To the editor: Robin Abcarian submits another vituperative column against President Trump. It’s perhaps cathartic for her but obviously not effective. He won.

Her attacks can only continue to create the same acrimony our country has endured since Trump was first elected in 2016. But are we still listening?

A wiser tactic would be for her to acknowledge and accept defeat and try to conceptualize the why.

Giuseppe Mirelli, Los Angeles

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To the editor: After reading Abcarian’s column on the cruelty of Trump’s inauguration, I once again ask myself why it is so difficult for decent people to believe what they see.

Here are comments to ponder from another time: He can’t really mean what he says. Good people will not let this happen. We need to go along with him because it will all blow over soon. Our neighbors will protect us. When other countries see what is happening, they won’t let this happen.

An infamous leader, brought to power through democratic means in the 1930s, believed internal enemies had to be eliminated. He also believed in moral purification, which took the form of book banning and stifling the press.

History often provides us with answers to our questions. At Trump’s inauguration rally on Monday, did Elon Musk really mean to give the Nazi salute? Regardless of his own response to this question, we can ask ourselves: What did we see?

Barbara Jaffe, Los Angeles