Why the Donald won

SIR: Michael Kinsley’s view of Trump’s victory (‘Why Trump won’, January issue) is a distorted one. You have to know that Michael’s environment was not likely to produce anyone who supported Trump. He was educated at liberal Harvard, worked as a liberal columnist, or contributor, for the LA Times, Politico, the New Republic and other notoriously liberal sources. He lived on the West Coast, California and Washington State, for many years a nest of liberalism.

So let me try to rephrase the reasons why Trump won, with all due respect to Mr Kinsley. Number one was the opponent, largely hated by even many of her own party and a majority of Americans. Second, he had no political baggage, never having held public office, and his personal wealth, which Mr Kinsley chooses to doubt, allowed him to shun the contributors seeking favours. Mrs Clinton, by contrast, had a billiondollar campaign far exceeding Mr Trump’s, which was largely self-financed. This had mass appeal. Finally, he seemed like a way to stop the strangling liberal agenda and national debt, perpetrated by the current administration. There were so many more reasons, including his ability to relate to the working class, despite personal wealth. Not wishing to see Bill Clinton back in the White House was yet another. Curtailing un-vetted mass immigration and abolishing a horribly failing national healthcare system, Obamacare, were also on the long list. Herb Simonson, Phoenix, Arizona, US.