In “Focus on Trump’s triumphs” (Our Readers’ Views, May 17), Victoria Gojio defends President Trump’s loss of the popular vote by 2.9 million votes using shaky facts, saying President Bill Clinton “did not win the majority vote in either of his presidential bids.” Clinton won in 1992 with 43 percent, receiving 5.8 million more votes than the incumbent Republican.
In 1996, Clinton beat the Republican candidate by 7.8 million votes with 49.2 percent of the vote, this while Independent Ross Perot got 8.4 percent. Perot was a factor in both elections. Since 1888, only in 2000 and 2016 has the winner not won the popular vote and, interestingly, both were Republicans.
Yes, Clinton had a sordid affair which saw him become the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached (but not convicted). I’ve never been a fan of either of the Clintons, but Trump’s lack of morals puts him in a class by himself. Now the right is upset about the special counsel’s investigation which has already brought 19 indictments. Funny, but I remember no such upset from them when Kenneth Starr was investigating Bill Clinton.
One wonders what universe the writer lives in where Trump’s impulsive actions are seen as triumphs. As conservative writer George Will says: “It is urgent for Americans to think and speak clearly about President Trump’s inability to do either.”
