Repost from the Benicia Herald

Actions matter, so do words

A recent op-ed (“Trump the Puppet? Words speak louder than action, it seems,” July 22) said we should look at Trump’s actions and not words in deciding if he is under Putin’s influence.  I think the president’s words matter, and coupled with some the actions he has taken, we can see if he is acting in ways to further Putin’s agenda.

I see that Trump, backed by many Republicans, has furthered Russia’s agenda in the following ways: he has inflamed divisions in our country, he has sown distrust about our elections, he has done nothing to ensure our elections are protected, he has created distrust in our intelligence services, he has created discord between the U.S. and our strongest allies, he has lavished praise on the worst dictators and abusers of human rights and insulted those who stand for democracy.  In all of these ways, Trump is furthering Putin’s agenda, whether he does so inadvertently, or under his direction, the damage in done.

I never thought I would see the day when the president and some Republicans seem to care more about communist dictators than do about the leaders of democratic countries.  It is as if they think dictatorships are better than democracies, and I find that terrifying.

Benicia resident