Letters to the Editor: Trump’s bad spelling isn’t the problem; it’s that he’s too lazy to care

To the editor: Amy Koss asserts that spelling-challenged people need our understanding rather than ridicule, but surely this should not apply to the president of the United States.

In fact, Koss’ plea for the public to go easy on President Trump’s spelling mistakes seems designed to stir up your literate readers, just as Trump’s ungrammatical tweets catch the attention of supporters who are similarly spelling-challenged or scornful of the need for using precise language.

Everybody knows these mistakes in communications from the Oval Office originate with an impulsive need for quick retorts and the inability to rely on others for assistance of any kind because he’s the greatest. Are these also qualities we should accept with understanding?

Yes, Trump is the greatest bad speller and grammarian we have ever seen in public office. Congratulations, Mr. President.

Cynthia Johnson-George, Pasadena

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To the editor: Koss suggests that we are being unnecessarily mean or wasting time pointing out that the president can’t spell.

She has a point: The president does so many deplorable things that we don’t need to dig deep to find actions or character flaws to criticize. But his poor command of English is indicative of a much larger set of problems. His is a job where reading comprehension and verbal acuity are core components of understanding complex situations and being a good leader.

She compares poor spelling to being fat or being bad at sports. Maybe we don’t disparage uncoordinated people in regular life, but we sure wouldn’t hire a poor athlete to be the quarterback of a pro football team. And if someone did, we should all be free to point out that he’s slow and unfit for the job without worrying about whether it’s “shaming.”

Bruce Hamilton, Palm Desert

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To the editor: People are not engaging in spell-shaming but, rather, pointing out the irony that a president who claims to be a “stable genius” who knows “all the best words” demonstrates a subpar grasp of the English language when he communicates on the world stage.

Linda Young, Corona