Dear Editor,

The most disheartening reason that Trump was elected president is that he appealed to human nature’s baser instincts. This approach is called “grievance politics.” It gives voice and encouragement to all kinds of negatives: racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, etc.

Equally disheartening is Trump’s behavior and his inability or unwillingness to exhibit the leadership qualities necessary to lead our nation. He did not have the decency to attend Heather Heyer’s funeral in Charlottesville, much less to send a representative. This was the young woman who was run over by a “white supremacist.”

Rene Payne

Stanford