Trump can’t be trusted to keep his word

In a recent commentary (“Democrats forget that Americans want to cut government waste,” March 17) Nicolee Ambrose writes, “As Trump said last month, ‘Social Security won’t be touched, other than if there’s fraud’” and seems to imply that we should accept President Donald Trump’s promises. But the real question is whether we should trust Trump or not?

Trump’s promise to make the economy better on his first day in office rings a bit hollow. He implied that egg prices would come down. But now he is telling the American public to “shut up about egg prices.” An internal government memo mentions the shutting down of Social Security telephone services and local offices. Will disabled Americans be able to transport themselves to local offices that may not exist anymore?

Can we really take Trump at his word? Did Mexico pay for the wall? Did Trump end the war in Ukraine?

Americans may recall that in a Truth Social post on Jan. 22, Trump called out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name writing that if “we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

Did Trump call out Putin in his latest phone chat? So, all we really have to do is to simply trust Trump. He is truly a man of his word!

— Martin Sherman, Towson

JFK assassination files: Another Trump diversion

I find it curious that amid all the chaos and upheaval going on in our government and our society right now, President Donald Trump would choose this moment in time to release the tranche of documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination (“JFK assassination files released, sending history buffs hunting for new clues,” March 19). If one didn’t know better one might almost believe that the release of all of this information, at this time, might serve as a convenient diversionary tactic — anything to distract the public from the havoc Trump and Elon Musk are busy creating. I implore readers to see his actions for what they are and not be fooled by his tactics.

— Frank Sigwart, Perry Hall

U.S. must hold Israel accountable

The recent article, “Israel launches deadly wave of airstrikes across Gaza after ceasefire talks stall” (March 18), describes how Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire that was agreed upon in January by killing over 400 Palestinians, a majority of whom were women and children. At the same time, Israel has blocked much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, a war crime. While Israel and its lackeys in Washington, D.C. blame Hamas for the breakdown, the opposite is true. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an editorial, “Israel, not Hamas, is derailing the ceasefire and preventing the hostages’ return.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has given Israel an additional $12 billion in military aid including 2,000-pound bombs that even our own military says should never be used in urban warfare because they cause so many civilian deaths.

— Ray Gordon, Bel Air

Preakness 2025: Why throw millions at animal cruelty?

Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore recently said the following about the Preakness Festival: “It’s ‘not just about honoring a storied tradition, it’s about building an inclusive future'” (“Preakness Festival to be headlined by downtown concert featuring DJ D-Nice and BSO,” March 14). At what point will we retire this “storied tradition” and leave animal cruelty in the past, allowing us to truly move towards an inclusive future in which we invest in our people and community?

What will the breaking point be? When people notice the hundreds of horse deaths (specifically, 369 racehorse deaths at Maryland tracks since 2014), $400 million (including taxpayer subsidies) funneled to decrepit tracks or perhaps the decreasing attendance, allowances, starts, purses, and foal crop? Does the dwindling track attendance not equate to a lack of interest, one that shouldn’t have our scant resources thrown at it in an attempt at resurrection? Rather than bail out the dying horse racing industry, I implore Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland’s first lady to invest in the future of our struggling Baltimore communities. Let us lay this “tradition” to rest, in hopes of birthing a new, brighter future for Baltimore, one without the costly and unnecessary abuse of horses.

— Bailey Chapman, Baldwin

Democracy is under attack and we must sound the alarm

As an elder, I’ve lived through many political crises in this country but I have never seen an attack on our democracy like this (“Justice Roberts rightfully stands up for judiciary,” March 20).

In the past, there was bipartisan opposition to lawlessness. Today, the guardrails are being dismantled before our eyes and we must sound the alarm.

— Steven Lukin, Ellicott City