To the Editor:

Re “The Selling of Donald Trump” (Op-Ed, Sept. 10):

Lee Siegel is right that Mr. Trump is pushing himself as a product, not a politician. This is what he does, masterfully. It works because we have more experience as consumers of products and advertising than as students of history and facts.

The division between Mr. Trump’s non-college-educated white men and Hillary Clinton’s credentialed, affluent women reflects this. Mr. Trump’s style and success as a huckster and Mrs. Clinton’s “teacher knows best” persona polarize this division.

The real message (and tragedy) of the 2016 election is that the Trump phenomenon demonstrates the transformation of politics (and democracy) by money and advertising, which have not only captured the media but also, sadly, an alarming portion of the American mind.

WALT GLAZER

Sagamore Hills, Ohio

The writer is a retired historian.