'A Shithole Country' 

Editor:

President Trump has declared that he will not approve emergency funding for the United States Postal Service ('The Biggest Challenge," July 2). He says doing that will limit the use of mail-in balloting this fall, which he falsely claims leads to rampant voter fraud and would also favor Democrats.

Perversely, he does support mail-in balloting in Florida, an important swing state. Somehow he finds it "safe and secure, tried and true."

Trump's effort to rig the election is an action one would expect from the corrupt leader of a so-called "shithole country," i.e. one Trump has defined as a source of undesirable immigrants.

So could it be that under Trump, the U.S. itself now qualifies as a "shithole country?" Let's examine other defining characteristics.

First, the country should have a weak economy with widespread unemployment, and likely also a serious disease spread throughout. The U.S. has all these thanks to the Trump administration's mismanaged COVID-19 response.

Next, the country should have a leader who demonstrates little empathy for the general population; and along with family and friends, financially benefits from being in office.

Trump is certainly not known for empathy, and the supposedly independent Trump Organization partly controlled by his two adult sons has benefitted financially through official use of properties that it owns. Additionally, Trump has placed family and friends in key paid positions throughout his administration.

Taken altogether, it appears that the U.S. does have enough defining characteristics to qualify as one of the so-called "shithole countries." 

Mr. President, welcome to the club!

Sherman Schapiro, Eureka