Dear Mr. President

October 28, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

Holy Cow! Only 6 more days to go until Election Day. It’s so exciting but also a bit terrifying. Your rallies are truly working! They are brilliant displays of all of your talents – truth telling, intelligence, character, strategy, empathy and general abilities to put your finger on the pulse of the nation. It’s truly amazing how you channel all those traits into a 90- minute love fest with your nearest and dearest supporters.Let me explain what I mean by some of these traits. The “Truth” is always flexible and dependent on a point of view. For example; “we have rounded the corner on the virus” is true if you meant it’s wider spread and is affecting almost every state negatively. Remember that while we have enough ventilators, Baruch HaShem, we don’t have enough beds, PPE, doctors, nurses and therapists to handle the new loads of patients. If your point of view is “we are the best at testing” and that’s why the numbers increased, but if you are the families involved or the medical staff trying to take care of people who are being hospitalized, the corner seems to be , heaven forbid, a dead end.

Let’s take a look at your “Strategy” for re-election. The rallies have drawn huge crowds, so there’s that. You don’t need to worry about the masks and social distance but the crowds in Nebraska were literally left in sub -freezing weather waiting for buses to return them to their cars. Your appeal to women is really hitting the mark, especially for “Suburban Women”. They will rush to vote for you because the line, “We are getting your husbands back to work”, is so effective and adorable. Another line that is working great is how the doctors and hospitals are only “in it for the money”. I’m sure everyone will agree with you on that comment. How about the part of the speech about “opening up the country” to “get back to normal”? Look around, we are so “normal” now that it’s hard to believe how we got here so fast.

Even though I didn’t mention every one of your traits that are on display at your rallies as well as throughout your life, I hope this letter inspires you to keep it up. My only question is do you have a stethoscope? It would help if you listened to heart rates as well as kept your finger on the pulse of the nation.

October 26, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

Hi and how’s your day going? I see by your schedule there are more travel stops today and there were many over the weekend. I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful fall colors as well as the sea of red at your rallies. Your strength and eloquence are truly unique and the love and loyalty your people show you are also something else. I listened to about 15 minutes of one of the rallies, maybe yesterday or maybe two or three days ago; you know how hard it is to keep track of time during the last 8 months. You told a very long story about Air Force One and the crowd seemed to hang on every word, but only for the first few minutes while you went on for about 15 minutes more. The story had something to do with you wanting to update the plane and how you negotiated the price down but that’s all I remember. It was interesting that you chose to tell an unmasked and squished together crowd of thousands of people that I think are mostly blue collar and low to middle income people about how many millions of dollars you spent on the people’s plane. It made the whole story so relatable, but I think you wanted them to know what a great deal maker you are. I did have one question for you about the plane; was it dangerously in need of an upgrade or did you just want to make it look fancier inside?

I actually have a few more questions for you if you have time to answer them. The first question is do you have a driver’s license? If you don’t, then it helps me understand why you keep saying “We are rounding the corner” when you talk about the DTVirus. If you don’t know how to drive or if you haven’t studied the rules of the road, then that line might make sense. But, if you have learned how to drive then you know that when you round a corner and you are going the WRONG WAY on a ONE WAY STREET – LOOK OUT!! TURN AROUND AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE!!!! The numbers of cases are going up, not down, the “little spikes” are not little, and all the hydroxychloroquine and other drugs in the world won’t help stop the SPREAD of this terrible plague.

The second question I have for you is what is your approach to the problem? It’s unclear what policy you and your administration have regarding the huge spread of the disease. Here are some options: a) nothing is wrong and the problem is going away, b) Mark Meadows is going away along with certain doctors, c) the Corona Virus Task Force is alive and well and coordinating with all 50 states and governors to get accurate statistics and sufficient PPE to them, or, d) the policy changes according to the day, very similar to how some schools are operating, some days in person and some days on Zoom. (The correct answer should be C).

My last two questions are what is the plan for overwhelmed hospitals and the people who work in them and what are you doing to address that problem? Have a nice flight and don’t forget to look at the beautiful leaves.

October 23, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

I know you’ve probably debriefed with your aides and maybe even with Melania and I wondered how they thought you did. My guess is they all praised you up and down for following the rules of the debate. I’m sure you thought you did great, awesome, the best ever and I would agree that it was the best you have done in the two debates and the one town hall event. Personally, I think that when you raise your voice, as you are wont to do, it may mean you need hearing aids, but, mostly you didn’t really yell. There was no spittle coming out of your mouth and only an attempt at interrupting or talking over the moderator, Kristen Welker. One commentator thought you seemed a bit “low energy”. Maybe all the travel, stress of the campaign and even the recovery from your virus have sapped some of your incredible energy.

I wrote to you that we would talk again after the debate especially about if you followed my suggestions.

1. I recommended that you stay positive and, for the most part, you did as well as you can except for your remarks on the children who have been separated from their parents and now your administration can’t find the parents. Unfortunately, this is HUGE. There isn’t a parent who doesn’t panic at the thought of having their child ripped from their arms, hearing the child wail in fear and not hearing from them for the last three years. They weren’t taken care of in clean, safe cages. They were babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, elementary age children and young teens. The Obama administration kept families together and no one, except maybe Steven Miller, thought separating parents and children was a great policy. In the future you might try acting sad or chagrined that there was such a poor tracing system that the parents may not be able to be found. Please don’t say the parents don’t want their children or the children are happy without their parents. That does not show the empathy that is called for.

2. My next recommendation was for you to try and be respectful. Despite dissing the moderator before the debate, you were mostly appropriate with her last evening. We had talked about not accusing VP Biden of dumb or discredited or unproven conspiracies, but you couldn’t help it. Hearing that Biden took millions of dollars from Russia and China and other countries and is still (probably) getting money from them just sounds nuts. The line you had about Biden sending sheets and pillowcases somewhere (?) was just weird and no one knows what you were talking about. It was kind of silly to accuse him of being a corrupt politician while stressing how long he has been in public services and no one has noticed something like corruption.

3. The discussion of the virus was not your strongest argument. Since you have said “it’s going away and very soon” since about mid- March, the line is no longer effective. Surely you saw yesterday’s statistics on infections, hospitalizations and deaths? However, it’s nice to hear you be so positive about the vaccines, but, unfortunately, they aren’t coming in a couple of weeks.

4. The discussion on the economy was a nice try to show how great things were last year. It might have been better for you to discuss how you might improve our situation next year with specific new ideas other than “open up our country”. It is very clear that you care deeply about the economy but less clear on how you plan to help small businesses.

So, it was a decent debate on issues. The clear winners were Kristen Welker who asked some serious and important questions and didn’t let you go off too far from the question and the television viewers who didn’t need Xanax after watching this debate. I think I can safely say, Whew, at least we don’t have to sit through another one.

October 21, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

I apologize for this letter really just being a short note to wish you well in the debate tomorrow night. The new rule of muting the mikes after the allotted time for an answer seems like a great idea. Now VP Biden can’t step all over your yelling. It’s actually a good thing for you, for him and for all the listeners who choose to tune in. I do have some more thoughts to help you in the debate, if you chose to listen to me. Yes, I know, I’m not a political advisor but I am a voter (who has already voted) and I am part of a larger group of people who would give you the same advice, so, here it goes.

1. Try and be positive. Talk about what you would like to accomplish in the next 4 years. Other positive ideas might include acknowledging that the country needs to unify over something, anything. I think we can all agree that children, ones who are already born, need a healthy home, healthy diets, clean air and water, great education, safe communities and, PARENTS. Maybe you could speak about how to reunite 545 CHILDREN with their parents. You could get extra credit for your answers if you can explain how this happened. Remember, answers need to be in complete sentences. Points will be deducted for inappropriate language, lies and yelling.

2. Try and be respectful of EVERYONE! There is no need to call people names, accuse them of being criminals or being anti-American. For Pete’s sake, who would run for public office without caring about our Public! Did you think VP Biden is only trying to get rich, or avoid prosecution? Conspiracy theories or stories that have already been disproven will also deduct points from the final score. Many more points will be deducted for dissing Dr. Fauci.

3. The public would like to have some straight answers for the inevitable question on the current state of your virus. Both you and VP Biden will be asked on what the national plan is and how and why your plan is better, meaning, how will it lower the infection and death rates, as well as protect our overwhelmed health systems. Extra points will be given for facts, statistics and not speaking about what you did 8 months ago, and not mentioning the word, “ventilators”. Points can be deducted for accusing governors of not accepting your “plans” or threatening them with cutting off Federal funds that go towards battling the virus and providing other health care funds.

4. When you are asked about the economy simply explain of how we go forward with supporting small businesses and building real infrastructures like roads, bridges, homes, schools, hospitals, and other jobs of the future. Don’t waste your two minutes on what happened during the last three years. Extra points may be given for discussing how new green businesses will be part of the economic plan, but points may be deducted for trying to return to coal as a major industry.

That’s it for now, I don’t want to make too many suggestions but let’s talk again after the debate.

October 19, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

Do you remember the game Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? You are playing a different version of it; Where in the Country is Donald Trump? The true answer is all over the places you love, need and want. You are seeing airport hangars large and small and visiting with your nearest and dearest. Your travels seem a bit frantic but so exciting. They also remind me a bit of the game Whack a Mole meaning who’s going to go down and how fast can you (or your virus) hit them.I also noticed that you haven’t really changed your message from “I shut down the country very early” to “the Democrats want to keep the country shut down”, from “I built the greatest economy in history” to “Our V shaped recovery is starting very soon”. There’s also “I’m protecting your suburbs from low cost housing” to “Why don’t the suburban women like me?” I’m not sure why so many women don’t like you, but it might have something to do with the names you call smart, strong, intelligent, powerful women. Come to think of it, it may also be your history of sexual abuse and harassment charges. It may also be how your words have led to a real time threat to the life of our governor, even if your daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, says that encouraging a crowd to yell “Lock her Up” was just part of the light hearted fun of your rally in Muskegon, Michigan.

I read that your administration put out a lovely statement about “Character” and how important it is to show you have it. It is the start of a Presidential Proclamation on National Character. It is an idea most people could support. Here are some of the lines from your Presidential Proclamation: “During National Character Counts Week, we reaffirm our commitment to developing and the demonstration of admirable qualities to enrich our lives and the lives of others.” Here’s another, “Our American story is rich with famous examples of those with outstanding character, including President Washington’s admirable humility and honesty, President Lincoln’s strong will, and President Eisenhower’s courage.” There was one other line that stood out to me, “May we never forget that our Nation is only as strong as the virtue and character of our citizenry.

”Then I discovered that National Character Counts Week was October 18, 2019, not October 2020. It was a great idea, sort of like Infrastructure Week, full of hope but no actions or plans.

Maybe both ideas could be resurrected next year.

October 14, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

“Remember the ladies”. Our second First Lady, Abigail Adams, wrote that in a letter to husband, John Adams, our second president. Did you know that? I was thinking about that line, “remember the ladies”, as I turned off the never -ending hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, the next person to be voted onto the Supreme Court. This is the third and probably last day of this boring marathon. She will be another ultra conservative on the Court and will rule on important cases that we all know she will hear. The men (it’s still mainly Republican men), who are asking her questions are really just going through the motions of praising her. So, let’s get this over with and get her seated. Then we will see what happens with the ACA case due to be heard next month and the cases on Roe v Wade that will come before the court in the next year or so.

But, “remember the ladies”! If Roe v Wade is overturned and the individual states can make it impossible or nearly impossible for women to make their own choices with their bodies, watch out! In all of human history women have had the honor and privilege of bearing children but they have also been forced to have babies they could not or would not be able to raise. In all of human history people have had sex, thank goodness, or we wouldn’t be here. But, it’s not always a choice for the woman and it has led to disasters for women and their health. This is a case of “good people on both sides”. Those who view it as a sin aren’t being forced to undergo a procedure, but I don’t understand why they are allowed to interfere with each woman’s decision on whether or not to give birth. It’s not up to me to make that decision for someone else nor do I understand the legal arguments that have been made and will continue to be made. All I know is that the women of this country will continue to make decisions about their bodies, and I hope they will be able to make those decisions safely whether or not someone else tells them they can’t.

“Remember the ladies” also applies to other issues. Abigail Adams also wrote; “Do not put unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could”. I thought about that line when I heard your speech telling suburban women “I saved your damned suburbs”. Then you went on to complain they should love you. In the previous rally you told people you want to hug and kiss them, whether or not they wanted to be hugged and kissed. I think you were trying to tell jokes again. Remember when I suggested watching a Master Class video on humor? Apparently, you didn’t watch it because your “jokes” are not funny. If you are going around the country doing gigs with this kind of humor, I feel sorry for you. You won’t get many more bookings and you might start to get booed. You are also starting to sound like a “tyrant” who thinks he has unlimited powers. You will need that Superman t-shirt. It’s sold in many stores and you can get it on Amazon. I think they carry X-Large sizes. Just remember, even Superman was vulnerable to Kryptonite so don’t count on the t-shirt being your protection.

Whether it’s women of child -bearing age submitting to the rule of others or suburban women being told how to vote or who to fear, the women, the ladies, the girls of this country, have learned they have powers. They will control their own minds and bodies. They will vote their own interests and beliefs. They will not be silenced, put into a corner or denied their equal rights under the law.

October 13, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

Speaking of Nobel Prizes, you didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize this year, but the Nobel Prize for Economics is shared by Robert Wilson and Paul Milgrom who is our classmate from Oak Park High School!!! Mazal Tov!!!!

It’s another beautiful day in Michigan. The colors are just about at peak and we’ve had sunshine and warm temperatures. Of course, it’s Michigan, so there could be a snowstorm this afternoon. Michigan’s temperature swings might be a metaphor for your campaign. Currently the polls in Michigan don’t look so good for you but there could be a big swing in your favor. Actually, it’s a bit like the expression “a snowball’s chance in Hell”. You know there is a place called Hell, Michigan, so if the temperature drops enough, maybe you could win the state.

You are a traveling man, traveling all around certain places to hold your incredible rallies, also known as “Super Spreader Events”. They are amazing feats of bravery, boldness and BS. My only worry is that the election is 3 weeks away and the spread of the DTVirus can occur in less than that time. You must be hoping that your fans will mail in their ballots during early voting periods before anyone gets sick or worse. You should worry that your non-fans aren’t going to these rallies and are following the CDC and Drs. Fauci/Birx health guidelines and are also voting now.

Since we are discussing your travels, I have a question. Who pays for the use of Air Force One? Do you rent it for the campaign stops? I know other presidents have combined public and political events and that seems to be legal, but what if you are using it only for campaign events? This question also applies to using the White House or the Rose Garden. Did your campaign reimburse the Federal Government for the use of the Peoples’ House and garden for the Republican convention and political rally? You really don’t need any more grief from financial inquiries.

Also, did you file last year’s taxes yet or do you need an extension?

October 10, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

Congratulations! What a surprise to hear you are “cured”, “immune to the virus“, and “think you aren’t infectious”, “in great shape”, feel like “20 years younger” while at the same time “a senior citizen, which we didn’t know”. It’s all so amazing and unbelievable, really unbelievable. I wrote you a letter a couple of days ago but never sent it as the news exploded with an overload of information and I got busy with other things that caused me to forget the things I was supposed to do.

You seem busier than ever following your miraculous cure from the dreaded disease and yet you seem angrier than ever at everyone. You are mad at most of your cabinet members, your AG, the CDC, parts of the Intelligence Community, the Senate along with the folks you’ve been mad at forever. Apparently, my attempts at helping you with anger management, relaxation exercises, and meditation mantras aren’t helping. I read that among the many drugs you took was Melatonin. I thought that was supposed to help with sleeping better but it hasn’t worked very well as you look exhausted. It’s hard to think of anything else I can suggest would to you that would improve your mood……unless, it’s to start thinking again about the future. I don’t mean right away but think about next year! You could enjoy improving your golf game, eating steaks, having dinner with Melania and maybe even Barron. You could sit with the grandchildren while they attend Zoom school. Goodness, you could start working on your Presidential Library. May I suggest a room at Mara Lago as the location?

Think about it. You wouldn’t need to worry about the physical, mental, emotional or economic health of the country. You wouldn’t have to write love letters to the leaders of other countries who don’t even speak English. You could take Lindsey Graham off the A-list of golf partners and never have to talk to Senator Mitch McConnell again. You wouldn’t even have to make phone calls to tv and radio shows, unless there was a contest for free tickets to a concert. You’d have plenty of time for exercising, reading or volunteering in the community. If you need millions of dollars to get out of debt, you could join the circuit as a motivational speaker or write another best seller about your years in the White House. You could join a militia and train with a bunch of really cool guys who could teach you about law and order. So, cheer up. Losing an election isn’t the end of the world. There are tons of opportunities for a senior citizen like you who is so healthy and so beloved.

October 6, 2020

Dear Mr. President,

So, how are you doing today? I didn’t want to bother you over the weekend but now you are home and doing great! That’s wonderful news. No one wants the President of the United States, one month out from an election, to get sick and die. That would be terrible for the country on so many levels. One, we don’t want you to die. Two, we want the people to decide whether or not you leave office. Three, there is enough drama going on and we, the people, don’t need more worries than we already have. You are trying so hard to project an attitude of “What? Me Worry” (shout out to Alfred E. Neuman) but, for most of us, that’s an attitude we don’t have.

You know, it’s not based on your projections of not worrying. It’s more about our reality of worrying about loved ones and ourselves. We do worry about the DTVirus, the economy, the division in this country, racial injustice, climate change, education for our children and grandchildren, suppression of the vote, foreign interference in the election, violence and so much more. By the way, I think many of us worry about violence from the far right, you know, the ones that carry long guns to peaceful protests and believe their guns are the ultimate protection. I was actually thinking about violence against women, children (not that looney Q crap) and people of color.

As usual, I do have some advice for you. Please wear a mask!!! You think you are modeling courage and the “can do” spirit. Some of your supporters said it was a “miracle” when you took a spin around the hospital. But, “here’s the deal”, for most of us, it seemed incredibly irresponsible and, frankly, stupid. I read an OpEd by someone named Heather MacDonald, in the City Journal. She wrote, “There is still no uncontroverted evidence on mask wearing”. That’s simply not true. Wearing a mask is not a perfect way to prevent infecting others but it is PART OF WHAT INTERVENTIONS WE HAVE!”.

Sorry, I got carried away with emotion. This OpEd person also wrote “Trump is now modeling masculine leadership at its best, upbeat, rational and unbowed.” Sigh, there’s only a few problems I have with this sentence, like, EVERY WORD!!

Okay, I’m calmer now. My last piece of advice, which, of course, you are free to ignore, is a reaction to your words to Rudy Giuliani. You said, “Great generals do not lead from behind. They get out in front and motivate troops.” My advice is let the great generals do their jobs. Your job is leading an entire nation, not just parts of it. Your job is modeling responsible, appropriate and sane public behavior.

October 2, 2020

Dear Mr. President, (and First Lady, and close advisor, Hope Hicks and everyone else in the White House who may also be infected with the Donald Trump Virus but about whom we have not yet heard),

First of all, it’s sad to hear that you have the virus and are experiencing “mild symptoms”. I certainly hope that mild continues to describe your symptoms, but I also hope you will be honest with the country if they are not. I know Speaker Pelosi is praying for you and the Missus as are many other people. You should try to believe that prayer helps or, as some would say, it couldn’t hurt. You are not the first national leader to become ill with this disease during the pandemic. Remember England’s Boris Johnson, Brazil’s Juan Hernandez, Guatemala’s Alejandro Giammattei (actually, I never heard of him so maybe you didn’t either), and the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan? What about Putin? I read that he is doing a lot of Zoom meetings and not so much in person visits. That’s starting to look like a lot better idea than all the flying around, in-door fund raising and unmasked, no social distancing rallies. I know you’ve heard that before but maybe the DTVirus has shown you in its own way, that those rallies are not a good idea.I also read and heard this morning that the White House folks are still not masking up. It seems that you and your people put too much faith in testing without practicing the advice from your expert health and infectious disease experts. Your new guy, Dr. Scott Atlas, pushed the idea that masks were not necessarily good, that children cannot pass on the virus and it’s not the government’s job to stamp out the virus even if it is okay to protect the vulnerable. He’s probably going to recommend you drink the Clorox. (Don’t). It’s not clear how to protect the vulnerable except by stamping out the virus but, maybe he knows about something else. In the meantime, maybe you could push the idea that masks and social distancing really are our current best plans.

You have managed to change the focal point of the news back to the virus. You tried super hard to move towards Law and Order and Economy and how great you are with the Blacks and Latinos. But, as Joe Biden said, it’s the pandemic that has led to a failing economy and you are not the greatest thing since sliced bread (he didn’t really say that), for people of color. It is so hard for you to admit that your efforts to “Slow the Spread” and “Open Up” were not completely successful on their own even with your Executive Orders in January or pushing for the manufacture of ventilators. There always is something else you could do to stamp out the pandemic but right now, you need to concentrate on your health.

By the way, I read your Tweet “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER! Actually, being in quarantine means we will not go through this together with you. Where will you quarantine? Chris Cuomo quarantined in his basement. Maybe you could go to the bunker. I certainly join everyone who hopes and or prays for your recovery.