To the Editor:

Re “Mr. Trump’s Shutdown Was a Cruel Joke” (editorial, Jan. 26):

While this editorial makes good points about the cruelty and folly of the shutdown, the negative tone misses an opportunity. President Trump made a courageous and mature decision Friday to reopen the government. In the best interest of the whole country, he dared the predictable avalanche of “caving” and “incompetence” insults from both the right and the left.

So let’s give him the praise and appreciation he deserves. If even his “enemies” like us are fair to him now, in his next tight spot he may be encouraged to decide as wisely again.

Betsy Duren

Tucson

To the Editor:

As a Democrat I’d like to let President Trump know that I hope his failure to bully Speaker Nancy Pelosi into paying for the wall is the beginning of the end of the bombast and incompetence he has shown in his first two years in office. While it is still too early to know if he has learned anything from this experience, it should not be lost on him that we now have a Congress capable of standing up to him and doing what is necessary to make sure he is held accountable for his actions.

Michael Scott

San Francisco

To the Editor:

Let ’s be honest. The wall debate has nothing to do with the actual merits or costs of constructing a wall. For Republicans, it’s a symbol of getting tough on illegal immigration. For Democrats, it’s a means of thwarting President Trump and gaining popularity among liberal and Latino voters. For the nation, it’s a symptom of politics trumping good government.