He’s president, not the king

Re “Why can’t Trump behave more like Queen Elizabeth?” column, April 7

Queen Elizabeth II gave a beautiful and motherly speech to the British people about the COVID-19 pandemic.

She spoke to her country’s men, women and children as any good mother would in a time of crisis. She was reassuring and expressed confidence that everything will return to normal.

On the other side, you have President Trump, who comes across as the polar opposite. He’s the patriarch father who’s in control, and he is angry at the virus that has put this country in an economic crisis.

You cannot compare the two personalities. Queen Elizabeth is the soft voice of the gentle mother compared to the fierce warrior soldier of Trump. Columnist Steve Lopez is throwing knives at Trump and doing exactly what he despises in Trump’s behavior.

If people saw Trump behaving like Queen Elizabeth, they would think he’s weak and acting like a king. Katherine Tripodes

San Marino

The queen’s pitchperfect response doesn’t surprise me at all. For decades her job has been to say the right thing. She was trained to drive an ambulance during World War II, so this isn’t her first crisis.

Our president, on the other hand, refuses to wear a mask. In my view this is for two reasons: One, doing otherwise would admit weakness, which he will never do; and two, it would mean accepting that the rules apply to him.

So, we have a president who can neither lead nor follow, nor even get out of the way. Still, the government’s response has given me a lot of hope.

It seems we actually have a few responsible people managing this. Millions of us may owe our lives to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his fellow government health experts for not only defeating the virus, but also managing their boss. Peter Scofield

Corona del Mar

The scariest part of the pandemic is that Trump is calling the shots. His ineptness coupled with his need to be told how terrific he is at every utterance is truly frightening.

When he said he wouldn’t follow the experts’ advice to wear a face mask, it was a bold-faced indication of his lack of understanding of the horror he created by not preparing back when he was first told a pandemic loomed.

So, why can’t Trump be more like the queen? A person cannot deliver what he does not possess, and Trump lacks honesty, dignity and any concern for his fellow human. Cassie Bryer

Los Angeles