Letter: Trump plays role of con man

“Have you confidence in me to trust me with your watch until tomorrow?” In 1849, William Thompson asked that question to dozens of people to whom he posed as an old acquaintance. They never saw their watches again.

After Thompson’s apprehension, a writer for the New York Herald called it the “Arrest of the Confidence Man.” Thus, an American character was born: the con man.

My favorite confidence man comes from literature. The Wizard of Oz was revered as the great and powerful. But this trickster was exposed by Toto the dog, who pulled away the curtain.

In 2016, Donald Trump successfully sold confidence in his slogan, “Make America Great Again.” He also promised to build a magical wall and make America safe again.

But an episode of a 1950s western drama foretold the story of our border wall grifter. In the 30th episode of “Trackdown” a con man named Walter Trump attempts to scam an entire Texas town. He warns the Texans that apocalyptic meteors would strike their town at midnight, but for $50 each he can protect every citizen from danger by building a wall made of magic metal. He alone can repel the emerging threat.

Toto, where are you when we need you?