Letters to the Editor: Is attending a super-spreading Trump rally different from being in a cult?

To the editor: When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, no one was prepared for the impact that one election would have on our lives. I think that as a result of his behavior, many of us have experienced something like “battle fatigue.” (“Super-spreading Trump rallies led to more than 700 COVID-19 deaths, study estimates,” Oct. 31)

Still, there is an unusually large group whose members hold on to their fidelity to the president with a willingness to accept everything that he does. Either they believe everything he says, or they don’t believe him but are faithful to him nonetheless.

However, when people are willing to expose themselves and their loved ones to COVID-19 by attending one of his massive rallies, which according to a study by Stanford researchers have caused 30,000 infections and 700 deaths, they are entering the domain of cult mentality, defined as a “misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.”

Lynn Lorenz, Newport Beach

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To the editor: Whether or not President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence win the election, they have blood on their hands by inflicting infection and death on their supporters. To add insult to injury, Pence is the head of the White House coronavirus task force and should actually be under quarantine right now.

Trump’s and Pence’s legacy will always be one of destruction and disregard for the public’s health and safety. They are harming their own supporters’ health and are even risking the lives of people who did not attend the rallies.

Mercifully, the election rallies are now over. Trump and Pence need to be retired from public life.

Arthur Kagan, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: If I organized and engaged in premeditated actions that resulted in not only physical harm but the deaths of others, I would be arrested and incarcerated pending a trial.

That there are no serious consequences for Trump may be the biggest slap in the face yet to the families of the 230,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19.

Bill Waxman ,Simi Valley