Editor, News-Register:

Former President Donald J. Trump’s recent comments in unrelenting support and praise of Russian President and dictator Vladimir Putin are inappropriate, troubling and quite possibly treasonous, calling the Russian “strong man’s” recent invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine “genious,” and describing Putin as someone he, Trump, “knows very, very, very well,” as “very smart and very savvy,” while referring to the leaders of our great nation as “dumb,” and members of our NATO allies as “not so smart,” leading one to possibly question: whose side Mr. Trump is actually on?

The aforementioned comments by our former President would be tantamount if President Franklin D. Roosevelt had spoken such words of support to German dictator Adolph Hitler upon his invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939.

In addition, words of praise and support for the Russian dictator and aggressor/war criminal by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as Fox New host Tucker Carlson, and also many other Trump sycophants, is most concerning and troublesome, and counter to our democratic beliefs.

How would it have been if Republican icon, President Ronald Reagan, shared similar views during the Cold War period? Obviously, if such had been the case, the Cold War would never have ended as it did, and the Soviet Union, which President Putin is now aggressively attempting to reform, would have continued to be in existence.

Thankfully, presidents Roosevelt and Reagan, as well as had/have all of our nation’s chief executives, exhibited strong advocacy for worldwide democracy and freedom, with the apparent exception of our 45th president, Donald J. Trump.

Also, former President Trump has inexplicably compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine with migrants attempting to enter our country from Mexico.

Sadly, it appears quite obvious that Mr. Trump’s unflinching admiration of authoritarian world leaders, as previously he has made alarmingly positive comments about foreign dictators such as Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Xi Jinping of China, as well as such others, continues to be unrelentlessly not about to subside.

Is it not finally time to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his heinous work and actions, and prove to the world that our great country will continue to espouse and support freedom and democracy throughout the world, as it always has?

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry