Trump’s message to poor whites

Re “Election lays bare the split between old, new America,” Oct. 21

I strongly disagree that the election split is racial. It is economic, and the thousands of white Americans who have lost good old jobs perceive that immigrants are taking away their opportunities.

Donald Trump has capitalized on their anxiety, promising new jobs and a wall on the border with Mexico. Gone are the steel mills of Ohio and other industrial centers that offered so many Americans good jobs. Our government has not sufficiently encouraged reeducation of the people to compensate for this.

Rarely spoken of is this mass of poor, white Americans. Hopefully, a less divided Congress will allow investment in our infrastructure, which would create thousands of jobs. Lynne Shapiro Marina del Rey

When the presidential election campaign began, there was much talk of a Republican in the White House. The Trump machine sprung into action and lo and behold, he emerged as the party favorite.

Poll numbers between the two parties were close but there was every reason to think the Republicans could prevail. Then “The Donald” couldn’t get out of his own way. He didn’t listen to his advisers when they counseled him to act presidential. He just couldn’t help being “The Donald.”

Turn the clock forward to this week and I am reminded of the movie “The Hunt for Red October,” in which Russian Capt. Marko Ramius piloted his country’s newest nuclear submarine toward the U.S., where he planned to turn the sub over to the Americans and defect. The odds were against him as he was pursued by fellow Russian Capt. Viktor Tupolov. While Ramius kept his cool and focused on out- maneuvering his opponent, Tupolov’s ego got the better of him.

The final words he heard before dying came from crewman Andrei Bonovia: “You arrogant a—! You’ve killed us.” Roberta Ross Los Angeles