Leaving politics aside

David Kramer’s story “The undermining of science is Trump’s legacy” (Physics Today, March 2021, page 24 ) was much too political for a magazine like Physics Today. In a nutshell, the article said that climate science was de-emphasized, while artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and biotechnology were enhanced. Every administration emphasizes some areas of science and de-emphasizes others. The article admitted that R&D funding was increased to $165 billion from $118 billion over Donald Trump’s presidency. That does not sound like “searing pain” to me. Kramer’s report also made gratuitous insults to William Happer and Steven Koonin, scientists with at least the credentials of the others mentioned.

The development of the COVID-19 vaccines in one year instead of the normal 5–10 was an enormous scientific and industrial achievement spearheaded by Trump. There is still the problem of distribution, of course, but if the country is largely vaccinated by summer, it will be a great accomplishment, with credit to be shared by both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Better Physics Today should stick to physics and leave the condemnation or praise of politicians to other media outlets.