Letter: Here’s hoping Trump supporters aren’t as slow to see the light as I was with Nixon
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 1969, file photo, President Richard M. Nixon, is shown at his desk in the White House. For the first time since an Oval Office taping system was removed by Nixon’s chief of staff nearly 44 years ago, a president has hinted that White House conversations might again be secretly recorded. If so, President Donald Trump is following a problematic precedent. While several presidents secretly recorded conversations without problems, the practice is most associated with Nixon. His recordings became prime evidence during the Watergate investigation that ultimately led to his resignation. Sooner or later, recordings are likely to become public.(AP Photo/File)
Look, I get it. In the 1970s, I was literally the last student at my small rural high school to support Richard Nixon. I was one of those people who believe what they believe and absolutely nothing you say is going to change that.
It took me years after his resignation to realize I was wrong about Nixon. Wrong to believe that someone titled “president” (and who happened to represent my worldview) couldn’t be deeply flawed, much less criminal. I believed profoundly in the authority and inherent “rightness” of institutions and elected officials, the same way I believed in the “inherent” goodness of other high-status people.
I was young then, and naïve. I didn’t understand a doctor could be a pedophile, a lawyer a crook, a judge a mobster or a policeman a criminal. I couldn’t separate the individual from the position. Even harder, I found it almost impossible to dislodge a belief I was so heavily invested in.
So I get it. I get people who continue to support Donald Trump. I only hope that other people are not as slow as I am.
Scott Bell, West Jordan
Submit a letter to the editor
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.