Letter: We need a true conservative as president, not a political opportunist

I do not like Donald Trump — never have. I remember his marital life portrayed in the tabloids in the 1980s and 1990s. Trump might have made his billions through business, but he made his celebrity through tabloid behavior.

Trump runs for president as a celebrity and opportunist. He has garnered the support of a good many conservatives across the country by speaking to their anger at the Republican establishment and its betrayal since the Congressional elections in 2012 and 2014. By seizing their disaffection and frustration, he has become a populist outsider believed by many to be the solution to the problems in the federal government.

Trump’s campaign is more about Trump than about returning to conservative values in government. He has no record of conservative beliefs, as pointed out by Ted Cruz. What does conservative mean today? Conservatives need to ask this with respect to Trump. If he is the litmus test for conservative values and positions, then what has he done to prove it, not just talk it?

Conservatives and Americans do not need a political opportunist as president, we need a principled leader. We don’t need a true Republican, we need a true conservative.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Letter: We need a true conservative as president, not a political opportunist."