Trump’s ‘Cartoonish’ Monuments and Public Response

Several readers described President Trump’s efforts to mythologize himself as excessive and even "cartoonish," arguing his appetite for compliments, trophies and honors reveals a fear of being forgotten. One letter quoted Mr. Trump’s remark that "you've got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you," and said he designs monuments to himself, even accepting María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and renaming the Kennedy Center.

The writer warned Mr. Trump will be long remembered for "nonstop and intentional destructiveness" to democracy, alliances and America's standing in the world. Others raised broader concerns about how the country arrived at this point. One correspondent asked how the constitutional system of checks and balances allowed a gold‑plated cultocracy to rise so quickly and easily.

Another argued that commentary focused too much on Mr.

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