I laughed when I read the Jan. 18 letter to the editor asking people to “give the Trump
administration its due.”

Mr. Grant’s talking points illustrate the real power behind autocrats like Donald Trump: it isn’t Trump’s selfishness that’s the problem. It’s that millions of supporters believe his lies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It’s a base that ignores the erosion of democracy.

The drug deals Trump made with companies were words only; they raised prices. The Inflation Reduction Act actually lowered prices. Millions of people lost their insurance as Trump cut agencies responsible for health and care. Token cuts for the middle class disguised enormous tax breaks for billionaires, adding trillions to the deficit.

Inflation under Biden was down to 2.4% by November 2024. Under Trump, the average family spent $1,600 more in 2025 due to inflation, according to congressional data. Job growth stalled dramatically under Trump. Yet this will all be dismissed as “fake news.”

I don’t think this does “look like a very good year for America.” American citizens are being attacked illegally by masked thugs as businesses fail while prices rise. Venezuela, Greenland, the EU and NATO are under attack. A Board of Peace — led by Trump with Putin, Orban and other dictators — is vying to replace the U.N.

If supporters of Donald J. Trump woke up and realized they were being conned — that his gains were everyone else’s losses — his base would crumble and this chaos could end.

Davis Robinson
Portland