To the Editor:

Re “Trump Gives Right-Wing Protesters a Megaphone” (front page, April 18):

Protesters are gathering at a time when the Covid-19 death toll rises hourly. Some protesters are armed, some have their children in tow. Their battle cry seems to be that we must open up because the American economy is more important than American lives.

And President Trump cheers them on. “LIBERATE!” he tweets, as if we were being held prisoner. I have not thought of myself as a prisoner. I thought we are caring for ourselves, our families and our communities.

I long for leadership from the president — a calming, reasonable voice that will help guide us in these difficult times. Instead we have a partisan instigator.

I do not know if we should open up sections of the country. I just know that a protest by people while clutching their AR-15s is as terrifying as the virus because they believe that American lives are worth the price of a paycheck.