To the Editor:
Re “Trump Pauses Many Tariffs for 90 Days, but Not on China” (front page, April 10):
I wonder what President Trump has learned, if anything, from his tariff escapade. An ordinary person would be abashed, ashamed and relieved that he was able to escape — at least temporarily — so quickly from the mess he had caused. It is of course highly unlikely that Mr. Trump feels anything of the sort.
What he is likely to have learned from this self-inflicted disaster is that whenever he wants, he can push a button and make the entire world jump up and down and go crazy. And that he can push it again and make everything fine, or even crazier. Talk about having the world on a string.
I believe he regards the whole tariff catastrophe as a win for himself, just another victory in his quest to make Donald Trump great again.
Tim Shaw
Cambridge, Mass.
To the Editor:
Now that President Trump has had a chance to see the potential for positive effects from the reversal of his misguided policies, one can only hope that he follows through by rehiring hastily fired federal employees; restoring canceled U.S.A.I.D. contracts; unfreezing funding for science, medicine and the humanities; abandoning the assault on racial justice and the environment; and bringing back immigrants who have been deported without due process.
In a few short steps, he can begin to restore the relative calm and prosperity we enjoyed under the previous administration.
Deborah Lyons
Oxford, Ohio
To the Editor:
“Trump Uses Many Paths for Payback” (news analysis, front page, April 8) notes that it is difficult to “distinguish between his grievances and policy goals.” It’s more than difficult, because they cannot be separated.
Grievance is inextricably bound into the core and history of Donald Trump, from withholding payment decades ago from small-business contractors to claims more recently of election fraud. His grievances are unbounded, and in the case of tariff policy they have unimaginably expanded to encompass the entire world!
While the judicious use of tariffs makes some sense, the blinding rage of grievance leads to the reckless, cruel and chaotic implementation of this and other policies characteristic of his administration of incompetent, unquestioning yes men.
Whether grievance is just a device to gain business and political advantage, or is something deeper used to fill an empty soul, one thing is clear: The Republican Congress has embraced it and allowed President Trump to rule as a king. In a king one cannot separate the policy from the personality.
Peter Ernst
Potomac, Md.
To the Editor:
Some time ago, David Owen, a British physician and politician, wrote a book called “The Hubris Syndrome.” In it, he describes a series of world leaders who, once in high office, succumbed to the “intoxication of power.”
Typical behavior in such individuals includes a disproportionate concern with their own image, a messianic manner, exaggerated self-confidence bordering on omnipotence, contempt for the advice or criticism of others, impulsiveness and at times a loss of contact with reality. Decision-making goes awry, and “hubristic incompetence” emerges.
Alas, these features ring familiar in the current winds of power in our country. Let’s summon countervailing voices to balance the ship.
John M. Oldham
Houston
The writer is an emeritus professor at Baylor College of Medicine and a former president of the American Psychiatric Association.
To the Editor:
Re “White House Is Ignoring Journalists Who Put Preferred Pronouns in Emails” (Business, April 10):
My pronouns are he and him. I’ve got to tell you, no one appreciates pronouns like a guy named Carmen.
So begins my fledgling standup act. The line always gets a laugh. It’s funny because it’s true.
I used to sign letters Mr. Carmen Delessio Jr. The responses were invariably addressed to Ms. Carmen.
Carmen is not a popular name for male children these days.
But for all the people with names like Avery, Alex, Channing and Parker, please let us use our clarifying pronouns.
Carmen Delessio
South Salem, N.Y.
#Opinion #Trumps #Tariff #Reversal #Confusion #Relief
