Dear Editor:

By naming Vice President Mike Pence to be in charge of the coronavirus fight effort, President Trump is exhibiting his Machiavellian instincts. 

If Pence does a good job, he will claim credit for having appointed him to that job. If he fails, which is the most probable outcome in view of his well known and documented aversion to science, he will be able to take him out of the ticket and name somebody else as his running mate, which pundits say is what he wants to do. 

Either way he wins and Machiavellianism has gained another supporter.

Jorge Montero
Downey