The Washington Post recently reported that former president Donald Trump made the following statement during a campaign stop in Anaheim, Calif.: “Very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store.” And the audience applauded, laughed and cheered.

No particulars were mentioned. So, some elementary school kid cops a candy bar on the way home from school and some teenager behind the checkout counter can pull out a weapon and shoot the kid (and possibly others)? Whose next? Panhandlers, jaywalkers, drivers parking illegally? This kind of deranged thinking comes from a man (running for president again) who probably hasn’t been in a convenience store in ages. And the really sad thing is the audience response! What kind of people condone this kind of position on law and order?

President Joe Biden may be old (only three years older than Trump) and periodically makes misstatements, but I’ve yet to hear him make a statement as demented as to sanction murder in the public sector. Those who still support the MAGA Republican party and Donald Trump need to get out a dictionary (or Google) and refresh their understanding of the meaning of democracy.