To the editor:

My inaugural wish for President Donald Trump is that it will finally dawn on him that he should get a dog. To my knowledge, he has no pet of any kind.

Mr. Trump seems to be such an unhappy man. Having already enjoyed both great wealth and great power — a full life for most men — you’d think he might have been happier, starting in 2021, spending his twilight years playing golf and swapping White House stories with “The W” instead of haggling with state and federal judges and suffering the indignity of a political campaign. On the other hand, it’s true that being reelected may have been the only way he could avoid prison (though I sometimes wonder whether the ignominy and privation of prison may not improve the souls of certain men).

In contrast to Joe Biden, who has no worshippers but many friends, Mr. Trump seems to have many worshippers but no friends. I certainly understand that when you are in a position of great influence it is hard to be sure who around you, if anyone, is truly a friend. But that’s where a dog comes in. A dog can be trusted. A dog seeks no “Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States.” The selfless love and abject devotion of a dog is just the ticket to fill that nagging void that even dominion over the earth cannot. All the happiest presidents had dogs. But please, something solid and serious — no toy breeds.

Dan V. Johnson,

Lawrence