Letters to the Editor: Trump cares more about his poll numbers than the survival of the American people

To the editor: Why does the president have so little faith and trust in the American people? Does he think we are children who have to be shielded from the truth so we won’t panic at disturbing news? Did we panic when we fought wars or had economic depressions? No, we have always faced facts and done what was necessary to fix our problems.

A leader would have understood the strength and resilience of the American people, and helped us face the pandemic and fight it. Mr. Trump, as always, cares more about his poll numbers than the health and survival of the American people.

Elaine Lubkin, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Trump’s stated reason that he downplayed COVID-19? Because the public might panic?

How insulting to our true American grit, bravery and determination. When did our feisty populace ever panic in the face of adversity?

Did we panic when FDR announced the attack on Pearl Harbor? Of course not. We mobilized and defeated tyranny and its armies. Can you imagine President Roosevelt saying, “Well, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but don’t worry, I’m sure they won’t do it again.”

The worst thing was Trump’s callous disregard for the health of the American people. He’s directly responsible for tens of thousands of deaths from COVID-19 … and counting.

Joe Hartnett, Pacific Palisades

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To the editor: Minimizing potentially tragic events is often a strategy used to avoid otherwise worse consequences. Back in February, when Trump supposedly knew how deadly COVID-19 was, not even the scientific community could assess with a high level of certainty how dangerous the new virus was.

At most, Trump‘s infamous gut feelings might have led him to believe that the new malaise was a very serious one. And, for once, the president decided to not verbalize his intuition devoid of scientific rationale.

Raising the alarm at an earlier stage when so much about the virus was still unknown would have provoked more harm than good.

Berta Graciano-Buchman, Beverly Hills

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To the editor: Instead of going with FDR, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” Trump went with Jack Nicholson: “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

Ellen Polsky, Huntington Beach