Dear Editor:

I read Mr. Jergeson’s recent letter to the editor with interest. His history lesson on the Montana Power story here in Montana was interesting, but what baffles me is how that relates to President Trump and the management of Covid-19 exactly? I do understand that Mr. Jergeson does not support the President and likely never has. But he did ask an important question that I and many of his supporters would like the opportunity to answer. Why did we, a sizeable majority of Montanan’s, elect President Trump four years ago and will likely do so again in a few short weeks?

We support President Trump because we trust him. We relate to him. We support the results of his deeds not his words. As one of his campaign slogans says, “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” Here’s just a few of those promises he’s made good on: 1) reshaping the federal judiciary with more than 200 confirmed federal judges in his first term including more 140 district court judges, 50 appeals court judges and soon to be three supreme court justices; 2) the most sweeping tax reform in generations which unleashed the longest period of economic growth since 1929, creating more than four million jobs and slashing thousands of unnecessary and punitive federal regulations; 3) under his leadership he destroyed the ISIS caliphate and restarted the mid-east peace process after years of stalled negotiations and moved the Israeli Embassy to its rightful location in Jerusalem; 4) he has reset relations with North Korea and negotiated new sweeping trade agreements with Japan, South Korea, Canada and Mexico while instituting the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Russia and Iran; 5) he is building hundreds of miles of new border wall on the southern border and brought about the historic guarding of the southern border by Mexican troops; 6) he signed the Right to Try act for people with terminal illness; 7) he signed sweeping orders to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors; 8) he rebuilt our nation’s military after years of neglect from budget sequestration and he signed into law the VA choice act for our veterans and revamped the VA’s bureaucratic backlog; 9) he secured financial security for historically black colleges and universities and signed the First Step Act giving people a second chance after being incarcerated; 10) locally he gave federal recognition to the Little Shell, permitted Keystone XL and Dakota Access and helped make the US energy independent for the first time. Need I go on? These might not be Mr. Jergeson’s priorities, but these are my priorities as well as those of thousands of fellow Montanans and millions of fellow Americans.

With respect to Covid-19. There can be no doubt mistakes were made by many in positions of power. I regret and pray for the families of those lost and currently afflicted by this terrible virus, but I do not blame President Trump for it, no more than I blame Governor Bullock for the recent spike in cases here in Montana. This virus is unpredictable and ever-changing. There is no handbook to follow with a pandemic. And China? China has a lot to answer for. President Trump recently contracted Covid-19 but appears to have beaten back the virus. I pray for him daily. It’s tough to blame our leader for a virus he too was strickened with. But I admit we have all made mistakes and learned from them since this all began earlier this year, the President included. What else could we have done? We still have freedoms in this Country that we love and cherish and won’t compromise on. Is that a risk? Yes, I would say that it is. Freedom after all is not free.

Is President Trump perfect? No. Who among us is? President Trump does; however, work tirelessly for our nation, without pay and unlike most of his predecessors, without the need for that job. He already had immense fame, power and wealth before running or being elected, for what other purpose would he enter the lion’s den except to use the talents and knowledge he had acquired over time to do what he could to help our nation in need. For this I am grateful and I and many others remain a loyal supporter. Deplorable in the eyes of some? Sure. But I remain Free and this is still the Greatest Nation on Earth!

May God continue to Bless the United States of America and President Donald J. Trump.

Sincerely,

Andrew R. Brekke

Havre , MT

Montanans can rest assured that President Trump and Senator Daines will uphold their values. Thanks to the President’s ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ pro-growth agenda, Big Sky Country is well-positioned to return to the economic boom we were experiencing before the pandemic.

From smashing economic expectations to creating better trade deals for the American worker, our nation’s economy under President Trump has seen unprecedented gains. After years of slow growth under former Vice President Joe Biden, the American people finally have a leader putting their interests first, and the results are outstanding.

Joe Biden touts radical proposals that would lead to tax hikes, increased unemployment, and a crippling government takeover that would hurt hard working Montanans. Big Sky Country deserves a Senator who will protect Montana values, unlike Steve Bullock who would rather pander to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s socialist wish list.

While Steve Bullock cozies up to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s ideas of government run healthcare, which would shut down rural hospitals and cost Montana taxpayer millions, Senator Daines is determined to repeal Obamacare and all its job-crushing tax and regulatory burdens.

Since President Trump took office the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% with an additional 20,300 jobs created before the pandemic. That is on top of tax cuts Montanans received back in 2017, reducing the tax burden on small business owners while putting more money back in Montana families’ pockets to the tune of $1,410 a year.

Make no mistake: President Trump and Senator Daines are leading the Greatest American Comeback and Montana will reap the benefits. The most recent jobs report confirmed our nation has created an incredible 4.8 million jobs, the largest one-month job gain in U.S. history, shattering last month’s record. Over the past four months, 10.6 million jobs have been added.

In Montana, the oil and gas industry accounts for 10.8 percent of Montana’s GDP and contributes $4.5 billion to the state’s economy. Since day one, President Trump and Senator Daines have supported hardworking Montanans who are at the helm of producing energy for our nation and the world. Together they will continue to support efforts to increase production of American-made energy.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden wants to eliminate all fossil fuels – killing jobs in the pursuit of his extreme climate agenda. This is another area where Senator Daines’ upholds Montana values while Steve Bullock has turned his back on one of Montana’s most important industries.

President Trump fulfilled his 2016 campaign promise to renegotiate a new trade agreement, which will bring a much-needed boost to major American industries. It is estimated that the USMCA will add $226.8 million in dairy output and $683 million in annual investment for the manufacturing industry. The increased investment in American industries -manufacturing in particular- have the potential to add 588,000 new jobs around the nation. Gone are the days of unfair trade practices that overlook American workers. President Trump has propelled American trade relationships into the 21st century. In a major win for Montana’s conversation efforts, President Trump also signed the Great American

Outdoors Act which fully and permanently funds the Land & Water Conservation Fund. Thanks to the work of President Trump and Senator Daines, funding for the program year to year is no longer in question. This will allow Montana’s ecotourism industry to flourish as their bountiful national parks will never be without the funding they deserve.

The evidence is undeniable: President Trump and Senator Daines are guiding our nation to bright new horizons.

T-K Production Company

Thomas M. Hauptman, President