Letter to the Editor - Excessive taxpayer dollars spent by President Trump on Montana campaigning

Editor,

My name is Raymond Nelson, a 1964 graduate from Havre Central High and 26 1/2 year Navy veteran. I was a resident of Montana from 1946 to 1980. It was then I changed residency to South Carolina where I was stationed and bought a home. I am a registered Montana purple heart recipient. The above mentioned background, I believe, justifies my right to voice my opinion.

I am currently back in Havre to celebrate my mother’s 94th birthday. My current residence — since 2001 — is in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

What I find hard to swallow is President Trump making four visits to a state with a population of less than a million people.

The cost to taxpayers — myself included — is approximately $5 million per visit. That’s $20 million of taxpayer money spent on only a very small portion of our American citizens. That doesn’t include two vice-presidential visits and a visit from a son to Montana.

I am not saying Montana is not an important state. Many of my friends and relatives live in Montana. What I find hard to digest is that President Trump has only made two campaign visits to my home state of North Carolina, one of them in Charlotte, North Carolina. Two visits to North Carolina, times $5 million each, equals $10 million spent reaching millions of our U.S. citizens.

When President Trump is willing to spend $20 million of our tax dollars on less than a million citizens in Montana and half that on several million citizens in North Carolina, something’s wrong.

I know millions of dollars are spent by candidates from each party running for office. This money spent is from campaign funds and is the American way. When excessive millions of taxpayer dollars are spent foolishly, this should not be the American way.

I don’t know of any past American president who has blatantly wasted our taxpayer dollars in such a fashion.

Raymond P. Nelson, USN Ret.

Whittier, North Carolina