Letters to the Editor: Coronavirus hit Trump like an ‘asteroid’ -- but he should have seen it coming

To the editor: I read that one of President Trump’s advisors likened the coronavirus pandemic to an “asteroid” hitting the campaign.

There are many professional and amateur astronomers who track countless asteroids in our solar system and beyond. We are never surprised by an asteroid that could threaten our survival.

The emergence of COVID-19 in China was first reported last December. In February, the president called the Democrats’ criticism of his lack of preparation for the pandemic a “hoax.” He and his supporters in conservative media dismissed the seriousness of the virus as it ravaged China, Italy and Iran.

The only surprise was how unprepared this administration was. In any war, a general who similarly failed to prepare for battle would be relieved of his command. Now, the president says he knew all along how serious this problem really was.

I don’t know what it takes for Americans to see how stunningly unprepared this president is to lead this country. Sadly, with better preparation and containment, the stock market might not have been in freefall now.

Richard Wulfsberg, Studio City

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To the editor: A few hours before the March 15 debate between Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, I received an unsolicited email from Trump’s reelection campaign,previewing the debate as “snoozefest” between “Crazy Bernie” and “Sleepy Joe.”

How presidential! Amid a national health and economic crisis, Trump directed snarky schoolyard taunts at the opposing party’s candidates.

It’s time to saddle him with a nickname most apt for these trying times, what with store shelves emptying, gun sales booming, and hospital triage tents rising. “Dystopian Don” seems a perfect fit.

Sandra Perez, Santa Maria