Letters to the Editor | July 4, 2024

For quite a number of years, Wawa Welcome America has been a tremendously wonderful event I’ve always looked forward to and participated in. The birth city of America — the City of Brotherly Love — puts on quite a remarkable celebration, and I continue to look forward to its Fourth of July festivities. I, too, embrace America. Independence Day is a cherished holiday. Hoagies, birthday cake, and fireworks make the festivities merry and bright. Over the years, I’ve met some wonderful Philly folks at many of the planned events. I simply can’t imagine being anywhere else in the world celebrating our country’s birthday. Happy 248th, America!

Wayne E. Williams, Camden

If GOP voters had any respect for this country or democracy, they would demand Donald Trump step down after his absurd, nonstop lies in the debate. In fact, they never should have nominated him and put us all in a position to fear four more years of being led by this maniac. However, Joe Biden’s debate performance has shown that despite a largely strong tenure, he is clearly unfit for office moving forward.

Responsibility now falls on Democrats and independents: We must demand Biden drop out of the race. For the country and the future, he needs to step aside as soon as possible and allow the Democrats to put forward a new choice. I’m grateful Biden has done a lot for the country and the world, including so much to support Ukraine. But we must face the facts. Sadly, failure to step down now will only cement Biden’s legacy as a stubborn old man refusing to listen to reason when it became clear he should never have run again in the first place.

Ben Swofford, Philadelphia

In the recent editorial that called for Donald Trump to withdraw from the race, The Inquirer Editorial Board revealed as much about its thinking as Joe Biden did about his capabilities in the debate. Many readers have been aware of the weaknesses of both candidates, and of this newspaper, too, for a long time. If the Editorial Board wanted to show a modicum of balance, it should have called for both men to withdraw, since all the things it listed about Trump can be said about the corrupt, shortsighted weakening of the U.S. under Biden. Neck and neck, some would say. A closing concern: Will the Editorial Board look just several months ahead to global concerns about the dangers of an inept and incoherent Kamala Harris stepping up when Biden must step down for his infirmities?

Gardner A. Cadwalader, Philadelphia, gacadwalader@gmail.com

The editorial, “To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race,” clearly describes why the know-it-alls have been looking in the wrong direction the entire campaign. CNN’s debate protocol of no fact-checking by the moderators encouraged Donald Trump to be more outlandish in his lies as the minutes ticked away. His answers to the questions bore no relation to the topic at hand. His continuous demeaning of migrants may have pleased his base, but didn’t sit well with undecideds polled by the Univision network; they went strongly for Joe Biden. Other polls showed no significant change in the race. Biden’s performance at the debate clearly didn’t help his cause, but Trump showed who he really is to a broader audience.

Alan Friedman, Margate

While much of the media was falling over themselves to call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his admittedly poor debate performance, The Inquirer Editorial Board took a much more rational and clear-eyed view of what unfolded on the CNN debate stage Thursday evening. It is Donald Trump, convicted felon and liar extraordinaire, who should end his hate-filled and fearmongering effort to return to the White House.

Trump was his usual evasive, bombastic, and narcissistic self. There were no expectations he would be any different or better than we have seen before. All the expectations were laid upon Biden. He had a bad night, though he roared back the next day in North Carolina. I’m not ready to count Biden out, not by a long shot. Regardless of his debate performance, he remains the best hope we have of avoiding the darkness that Trump would bring down on this country. Thank you, Inquirer, for your courageous and unambiguous stand against what would be an unmitigated disaster if Democrats actually sought to remove Biden from the ballot.

Herb Field, Duncannon

Like many ordinary Americans, I watched the recent debate and felt President Joe Biden did not do well. So what? It’s a debate, for heaven’s sake! The cognitive skills and speaking capabilities required for a 90-minute debate are at best only approximately correlated with the cognitive and leadership skills required to be president. If Americans are judging Biden solely or even mainly on his debate performance, it says more about the state of the country than the condition of the man. Democrats need to stop wringing their hands over his debate performance and get to work.

Robert O. Slater, Lafayette, La., slater99@gmail.com

Much is made of Joe Biden’s age, but I never hear criticism of Donald Trump’s possible senility. In his public speeches, Trump is unable to successfully complete a sentence or a thought. He seems unable to discriminate fantasy from the truth. For example, he said that he never said, “Lock her up” regarding Hillary Clinton, yet he is on video saying those actual words multiple times.

During the debate, Biden did seem unsure of himself, but the thing about Biden is that he surrounds himself with experts whom he actually consults and listens to, as opposed to Trump, who looks directly into the sun and advises people to drink bleach. Who would you rather have as your leader: an old man who is able to tell the truth, listen to others, and who is trying to do what is best for his fellow citizens, or an old man who lies and is looking only to satisfy his own interests? Both are old, but Trump has lost his sense of decency, common sense, and ability to think logically

Susan Thompson, Newtown

During the recent presidential debate, the moderators should have pushed Donald Trump’s mute button each time he ignored a question, then reminded him of the rules and purpose of the debate. The moderators failed to moderate; therefore, CNN and the Trump campaign should account for the CNN broadcast time as a campaign contribution valued at the going rate for prime-time advertising. If this is how things are going to be, then the next debate should be advertised as a Trump rally instead.

Craig McBride, Coatesville

Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 200 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.