To the editor: A Times letter writer condemns both former President Biden and President Trump as the “worst presidents in history.” This is a false equivalency.
I am not a great fan of Biden’s. However, to claim his shortcomings are comparable to the criminal acts of Trump is over the top.
Given the vengeful rhetoric of Trump, I can’t fault Biden for issuing pardons to protect family members and others. That Biden issued these pardons is hardly comparable to Trump’s egregious violations of law that have rendered him a convicted felon.
In the first week of his presidency, Trump has made no effort to conceal his retributive agenda. He has fired Department of Justice prosecutors involved in the cases for which he has escaped accountability and has, through executive orders, harmed a range of crucial social and economic programs.
In contrast, Biden has never indulged in a vindictive persecution of political opponents. Flawed but well-intentioned, Biden is responsible for constructive economic programs such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
But Biden, hiding behind rehearsed rhetoric to the contrary, shares Trump’s support for Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, a profound moral blemish on both their presidential legacies.
Andrew Spathis, Los Angeles
