To the editor:

The most plausible explanation of what motivates and captivates MAGA supporters is that they are reacting to the attitude of the elitist liberals whom they believe have such disdain for them.  Hillary Clinton, no doubt, lost a considerable block of voters who may have  identified and appreciated much of her ideology, but attached themselves to  Donald Trump who seemed to love, respect and understand their grievances.

No amount of malfeasance, grifting, moronic pronouncements, or seemingly treasonous actions, have deterred these MAGA millions, who were willing and able to make him president and participate in an insurrectionist attack on the Capitol.  Despite all judicial decisions and televised hearings corroborating the many accusations of criminal behavior, they have not been  dissuaded from slavish devotion, and continuing support of Trump.

 But, the publishing of the January 6 committee’s report of testimony accusing Trump of referring to his most ardent supporters as “trashy,” while they were committing felonious and treasonous acts in his name and at his bidding, may be  his  ultimate undoing and the end of his ignominious career.

Trump has been credited, even by his harshest critics, as being perceptive and talented as to how he has manipulated the millions of supporters into believing he is one of them and feels their pain and fury for all their perceived disrespect from anyone he  designates as an enemy of these people. 

Trashy is a much simpler word to understand than deplorable, and is the very essence of disrespect that has riled and roiled the MAGA millions since Trump rode the escalator to the presidency and debated Hillary Clinton.   Looking for an off ramp, detecting another electoral loss, the MAGA diehards, can now switch their allegiance to another pseudo populist who will carefully avoid defining them as trashy, deplorable or gullible.

Betty Ussach,

Dartmouth