Letters to the Editor: We elected a reality TV star in 2016. He's delivering drama now

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 04: Opponents of former President Donald Trump gather outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court during his arraignment on April 04, 2023 in New York City. Trump will be arraigned during his first court appearance today following an indictment by a grand jury that heard evidence about money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. With the indictment, Trump becomes the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with a criminal offense. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Opponents of former President Trump gather outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court during his arraignment on Tuesday in New York. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

To the editor: Former President Trump's arraignment in New York is only the beginning of overwrought courtroom scenes befitting a banana republic.

The nightmare inexorably will long endure. More arraignments in other jurisdictions. Flurries of pre-trial legal motions. Jury selections bogged down by the unprecedented difficulty of finding truly unbiased jurors.

Finally, circus-like trials and maybe even re-trials.

All of which underscores the fears shared by untold millions of Americans in 2016: that the election of a reality-show impresario with no government experience presaged our nation's devolution into a banana republic.

Devra Mindell, Santa Monica

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To the editor: Now that Trump has been indicted and arraigned, New Yorkers can breathe easier knowing that there will be a rapid drop in crime and the streets will be safe again. Or not.

It's as if Trump is guilty until he can prove his innocence. What happened to presumed innocent until proven guilty?

Patrick Kelley, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Trump's indictment in New York and the lack of action in Atlanta are bad news for Trump's political opponents.

The Georgia issue is clear cut. Everyone has heard the recordings of Trump trying to get election officials there to "find" enough votes to overturn the 2020 result.

The New York case is iffy and plays into Trump's narrative. If he wins, it's a victory. If he loses, he can appeal and keep his name in the news for a year.

People knew what Trump was when they voted for him. The outcome of this case isn't going to change that.

Lew Livingston, Orange

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To the editor: Watching a former president submit to an arraignment reminds me that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a ton of cure.

Trump has harmed so many and so much. I didn't know if I was going to survive his presidency (many didn't), and our democracy may have been irreparably undermined by him.

Im Jung Kwuon, Porter Ranch

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To the editor: Perhaps Trump and Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg should exchange surnames.

Jean Tanner, Marina del Rey

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.