DEAR EDITOR:

Throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, this president has deceived us, downplayed the threat and disparaged science and experts to convey his alternative, erroneous facts that align with his political agenda.

Early in his term, officials charged with pandemic preparedness were dismissed, including the relative plans. He was briefed in January on the lethality and mechanism of spread, but he deceived America. Repeatedly, he claimed closing our border to Chinese citizens was a great achievement; however, many who traveled to the Far East did return. He reported all was well, and the virus would disappear with warm weather. Yet by spring, a pandemic was widespread, while federal plans or preparations were absent. Maintenance contracts on stored ventilators had been discontinued, testing was delayed and reagents and personal protective equipment were lacking with much only available from foreign countries. States’ urgent requests for essential supplies were insufficient or delayed.

We heard his family member state federal supplies were theirs, not for the states. Televised task force briefings from Doctors Fauci and Birx were hijacked by this president as political campaigns where he contradicted experts, guidelines, FDA and CDC. Public outrage ensued as he suggested injecting disinfectants as treatment. Briefings ended when COVID-19 spread, hospitalizations and deaths rose, while masking and social distancing, as well as adequate testing, were ignored. Businesses and schools closed and medical workers died from exposure.

By late summer, this president, lacking knowledge of science or medicine, put politics ahead of science. Still with no federal plan, he urged businesses to open. States with Democratic governors were targets of attack. Republican governors yielded and opened prematurely.

Opening previously under-funded schools was repeatedly argued by this president while no school funding was granted for disinfectants, personal protective equipment, essential testing and contact tracing. He watered down CDC safe school guidelines.

Now we see cases, hospitalizations and deaths; however, this president has tired of COVID-19 by claiming the U.S. was “rounding the turn,” which it is not. He apparently prefers reckless, unprotected rallies to nourish his ego and risk viral spread among attendees. Over 225,000 Americans have died.

Care is not in his vocabulary. He did not care about infants and children taken from their mothers at the southern border. Every parent in America should condemn this outrageous, inhumane assault against our children which amounts to child abuse with long-term consequences. To date, 545 children still have not been reunited with their parents.

An individual without character, competence and integrity will not change. A bully who calls others demeaning, disgusting names is projecting that which applies to the bully himself. America must not support an irresponsible arrogant leader.

LINDA HORN

Canfield