Trump cannot be allowed to win

To the Editor:

As we mark the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, it’s important to remember how we got to that moment and who was responsible for it. Donald Trump and his allies engaged in a months-long criminal conspiracy after the 2020 election.

They spread lies about voter fraud and used those lies to put pressure on state officials to illegally overturn election results. When their scheme to interfere with Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results failed, Trump and his co-conspirators incited a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

MAGA Republicans nationwide have continued this assault on our democracy by introducing radical voter suppression bills in Congress and state legislatures, spreading false election conspiracy theories, and threatening to overturn election results they disagree with.

Now, Trump is running for president again and he and his allies are planning for a second term that is even more extreme and authoritarian than the last one. If he is re-elected, he plans to pardon himself and his supporters, use the Department of Justice to exact revenge on his enemies, and purge the federal government of anyone who doesn’t agree with him until there’s no one left to say no. 

Just last month, Trump said if he was reelected, he would attempt to be a dictator on “day one.” We need to take him at his word. Too much is at stake for the American people to allow Trump to take back power. It’s up to all of us to say no to a second Trump presidency now, before it’s too late. 

Stevie Johnson