To the Editor:

“Trump’s Rhetoric Has Precedent,” by Philip Terzian (Op-Ed, Dec. 10), was a misguided and ahistorical attempt to normalize President Trump’s rhetoric and actions by comparing him to former presidents.

While F.D.R. used fireside chats to reach out to the public, they were nothing like Mr. Trump’s tweets. F.D.R. tried to calm and explain complex issues to the public; Mr. Trump uses his tweets to provoke conflict and misunderstanding.

Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush certainly had their critics and were considered lightweights by many, but they understood how the government worked and made an effort to promote unity.

And Theodore Roosevelt was impulsive, but not on a daily basis, and did not consistently flip-flop on important issues. Most of all, no former president appeared to do the bidding of America’s enemy.

Mr. Trump, despite what Mr. Terzian says, is a threat to democracy in a way that even Richard Nixon didn’t approach.

Ronald H. Bayor
Atlanta
The writer is emeritus professor of history at Georgia Tech.

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