Thanks for reading, sir, and we agree the briefings are an excellent way to communicate directly with Americans. Our point was about the way Mr. Trump is communicating about a subject that is literally a life and death matter. That’s the reason they’re a ratings hit, not because people enjoy Donald Trump sparring with the White House press corps like a Packers-Bears game.

We’ll bet the ratings for the briefings would be even higher if they were shorter and more focused. We suggested 45 minutes, but at least one reader who wishes Mr. Trump well thinks they should be 30, delivering an update on key developments, taking a question or two—and that’s it.