The emperor has no clothes. I write not just about President Donald Trump, but the Republican Party and most of its voters. The president's authoritarian impulses, corruption, disregard for the Constitution and racist and misogynistic behavior are well documented. His actions are unhinged as evidenced by his recent interview with Kristen Welker on โ€œMeet the Press.โ€ Most of his insults are reserved for female reporters. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is hostile to women and people of color. This is systemic throughout the Republican Party.

"Profiles in cowardice" describes Republicans in Congress. Any pushback against this president is tepid at best. There are symbolic votes, but they won't stand up when it counts. This conservative Supreme Court has a creative interpretation of the Constitution. They gave Southern states the green light to dilute the votes of African Americans. Hoping to preserve their House majority, Republican dominated legislatures have been all too eager to target Black-majority districts in their gerrymandering schemes. Speaker Mike Johnson seems to emulate the cardinals in the Catholic Church who hid abuse of children as he has fought the release of the Epstein files by going as far as refusing to swear in Adelita Grijalva for more than 40 days. She won an open seat in Arizona and was the 218th vote on the discharge petition to release the files.

I was a Republican until Donald Trump drove me away. Now I have no party preference. I find their silence to be deafening on the president's posting Christlike images of himself or attacking the pope, in addition to his racist posts targeting the Obamas. History has a way of grading you. Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger predicts that in 10 years, few people will admit to voting for Trump. I believe him.

CHARLES V. DUNCAN

Lafayette