I commend John W. Henry as publisher and the editorial page staff at the Globe for putting forth a bold and direct critique of Donald Trump as potential president of the United States. Anyone who objects to the ironic view presented in Sunday’s mock front page should remember that editorialists and columnists often write in a satiric style, and that much of the page took off from Trump’s own statements of record. The implications expressed, such as the likelihood of trade wars as a result of unnegotiated, hostile trade barriers, follow from logic and from experience with the nations that would be negatively affected.

I am relieved to see members of the free press finally speaking up to counter the absurdity of Trump’s positions. Trump is right about the disaffection and sense of disempowerment that many Americans feel. He is not right about how our American democratic principles and rule of law operate.

He appears not to know, or care, how the roles of Congress, the executive branch, and the judiciary are spelled out in the Constitution and in our laws. As imperfect as they may seem at times, the fact is they have guided us, and it has been the practice of the people and the elected officials to guard and preserve these institutions for more than 200 years.

When he railed against the Globe’s portrayal of a Trump presidency, he said “it’s a make-believe story,’’ as is “the whole paper.’’ The implication is that the newspaper in general does not use facts. Trump is free to use name-calling, scapegoating, complaining, and fanciful promises as his form of communication. But that does not make what he says true or real. The absence of facts at his disposal gives the lie to what he claims.

Meg LeSchack

Bedford