Maintaining my composure when I see a “Trump – No more (expletive)” bumper sticker is difficult.

Trump has told over 20,000 “misleading or unable to be substantiated statements,” otherwise known as lies, while standing at the podium.

These lies are not without serious consequences.

Trump doesn’t care.

His ‘misstatements’ about the coronavirus, calling COVID-19 a hoax, were misleading and harmful. Denying climate change, rolling back years of environmental protections and leaving the Paris Agreement leaves us in peril. Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for fossil fuels is a travesty.

But Trump doesn’t care.

His sowing of doubt goes beyond science:

He chastises public servants in the military, the intelligence community and FBI, devoted workers protecting American democracy. He denies Russia influenced the 2016 election, assisting his election campaign. This was recently substantiated by a bipartisan intelligence committee report. He called it a hoax.

Trump has managed to cultivate distrust in our institutions and our government. QAnon believers, who follow him as a cult leader, are promoting bizarre and dangerous convictions that incorporate warped mysticism. Their beliefs leave no starting point for a reality check but they do have a similarity to other dark times in history. When given the opportunity to denounce this group and their dangerous conspiracy theories, Trump urged them on, seemingly appreciative of their worship.

And that is why I cannot view those bumper stickers without feeling fear and rage, as all Americans should.

Shannon Darr
Eliot