Trump calls for unity to fight the coronavirus. He needs to walk the talk | Letter to the editor

An open letter to my president.

Dear President Trump:

First, thank you for quickly imposing a travel ban for China, which initiated the Wuhan coronavirus. This greatly prevented the immigration of virus carriers.

You have stated that we should not use this crisis as a political weapon, and that we must be united, not divided.

But on Monday, March 16, you stated that Gov. Andrew Cuomo “needs to do more.” Since he is a Democrat whom you dislike, this was a political statement and it was divisive. Worse, earlier in the day, Cuomo had held a press conference at which he imposed many restrictions on New York and New Yorkers to mitigate spreading the virus.

In part, Cuomo is forcing restaurants and bars to close. But, importantly, he is allowing them to provide takeouts and deliveries so that they and their staffs can still earn income. This is creative, smart and helpful. Since then, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have essentially endorsed Cuomo’s positions. Perhaps you should put Cuomo in charge of the governor’s conference on this issue so he “can do more.”

Perhaps you need to “walk the talk” about not being political and not being divisive. Perhaps YOU “need to do more.”

Just sayin’.

Roger Grossel

Lakewood Ranch

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Trump calls for unity to fight the coronavirus. He needs to walk the talk | Letter to the editor."