Did Trump Himself Provoke an Assassination Attempt?
Flushing: No, I don’t mean that Donald Trump conspired to have someone make him play the victim card. However, what Trump did in life set him back. He relentlessly opposed gun control and gun buyer screening. The number of mass shootings increased during his term: 348 in 2017, 336 in 2018, 417 in 2019, and 615 in 2020. Trump rarely addressed the issue or showed any concern, because these incidents occurred daily, and in his last year, almost twice a day.
Trump has encouraged violence at his rallies, urging listeners to beat up his critics. He has bragged that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single voter. His political rallies have the highest violence rate of any presidential candidate. Trump has refused to pay his security bills at many venues. He has had no sympathy for victims of gun violence. He mocked the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband. MAGA and the right have echoed Trump in their conspiracy theories that it is the left that sponsors and perpetrates violence, when it is the right and MAGA.
Trump’s violent rhetoric led to this attack. It wasn’t God’s benevolence that saved him, but the fact that the killer couldn’t make the school shooting team because he was a bad shot. I have no sympathy for Trump playing the victim when he was the perpetrator of the violence that nearly took his life. After all, MAGA argues that some people need to be killed. They just didn’t think anyone would accept them by targeting Trump. Philippe Ernest Schoenberg
Intensified
Yonkers: Now, after the assassination attempt on former President Trump, the prevaricator-in-chief, President Biden, is calling for the political temperature and rhetoric to be turned down. This is an abject tragedy, since the sycophantic Biden and his fellow Democrats’ sycophantic cabal, the mainstream media, Hollywood elites, academia, big tech, etc. are the ones who have brought the political temperature to a boiling point. If a similar attempt were made against Biden, it is apodictic that this same group’s constant and vitriolic condemnation of his political opponents would not be dismissed. Indeed, it would be heard in the stratosphere, and it would all be directed at Trump. Even after this horrific incident, they will continue to manipulate the American people as their hypocrisy and seeds of division continue at unchecked and evil levels. James McCaffrey
Bullying context
Brooklyn: I am a registered Democrat who supports Biden no matter what. However, I was saddened by the assassination attempt on Trump. It is also saddening that a family lost a father and the shooter’s family lost a son. I understand that this young man had been bullied at school. Perhaps he listened to Trump’s insults, threats, etc. and decided to take matters into his own hands because he identified with those who were bullied. Perhaps this young man did not die in vain and something good will come of it. God bless America. Marie Whitaker
Spitting violence
Brooklyn: After being shot and walking off stage, Trump raises his fist and shouts, “Fight!” He told his cult members to go to the Capitol and fight like hell or you won’t have a country anymore. Violence broke out there and human lives were destroyed amidst the “Hang Mike Pence!” campaign. Trump talks about retaliation against his political enemies. He envies and admires ruthless dictators like Vladimir Putin, Hitler, Kim Jong-un, etc. The convicted felon always claims that he is the victim in all these trials, never thinking that he brought the wrath upon himself. The cult members claim that he was so brave, but what did he do that was so brave? If Old Bone Spurs was so brave, he wouldn’t have avoided serving in the military. Don Adler
Selfish indignation
Woodstock, NY: Right-wing Republicans didn’t say a word to suggest that every nutcase in the country should have access to AR-15s after 20 first graders, including one of my colleagues’ sons (6 years old!) were slaughtered at their elementary school. Not to mention the deafening silence when one of your own attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their home, admitted that he was after Nancy, of course, and that his home address was posted on their websites and that he was encouraged to carry out his attack by Orange Menace supporters. So spare us the faux (a)moral outrage. It’s always nice when you do it, but you clutch your pearls and gasp when it’s directed at you. Pathetic. Suzanne Hayes Kelly
Crazy answers
Bronx: The assassination attempt on the former president has brought out crazies on both sides. It should be rightly condemned. As Biden said, there is no place for it in American politics. That said, JD Vance has blasted Biden for his rhetoric. Even in the debate, the former president called Biden “Brandon.” Democrats are no better, they wish they had killed the former president. One voice even suggested it was a set-up. Martin Sandok
Contradictory
Belle Harbor: It’s interesting and telling that some of the people who claim that Trump is an existential threat to democracy rationalize politics through assassination, and some of the people who were appalled by allegations that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax say the assassination attempt on Trump was a simulation. Bobby Nelsen
Big story
Wallington, NJ: After this shameful assassination attempt on Donald Trump, we were shocked to see a small column in the Sunday issue of the Daily News. So dismissive. Then, the Monday editorial “Let’s Make Peace” (July 15). We suggest that peace begins with unbiased media coverage, and that should start with you, the Daily News! Ronnie Deckert
By pressing
Queens Village: I don’t know if God spoke to President Biden about staying in or leaving the race, but it seems like God spoke to Trump, and thankfully he’s still in it. F. Barnett
Diligence to save lives
Ridgewood: I am writing to commend the lifeguards who work on New York City’s beaches. As a regular visitor to the city’s beaches, I often have the opportunity to observe the unfolding of beach life. On Sunday, I watched as lifeguards around the swimming areas of 95th Street Beach rescued 14 people from the water, all of whom were struggling in strong rip currents. Ten of them were children. Their careful monitoring and quick reactions, as well as their perfect coordination with each other, allowed them to function as a fast-moving team and save lives. The ocean currents are fierce, and the athleticism, commitment, and courage of the lifeguards have prevailed time and again. When a shark was spotted Sunday afternoon, the lifeguards had everyone out of the water within minutes. I ask all other beachgoers to respect and listen to the lifeguards on our beaches – your life may depend on it. Alicia McCauley
Spread it out
Brooklyn: As a community board member, homeowner, and housing activist who lives on the edge of Brooklyn’s Victorian Flatbush, I was disappointed to see Joe Enright’s op-ed (“The City of Yes and Robert Moses’ ghost,” July 14). If we want to build a more affordable and integrated city, every neighborhood must do its part to add new housing—and that includes Victorian Flatbush. Many members of the public and council noted this at our public hearing, and ultimately, Brooklyn Community Board 14 voted to support City of Yes for conditional housing opportunities (a fact Enright conveniently omits). We can no longer shift new housing development to a few neighborhoods or busy thoroughfares. We need a little more housing in every neighborhood. By distributing new housing more equitably, we can add what our city needs without the kind of dramatic impact Enright and others fear. Elisabeth Denys
Not funny
Mount Kisco, NY: Stop reducing the size of puzzles. You make the clues too small to read and the boxes too small to write on. I stopped trying to do Saturday’s puzzle as soon as you made them that small. Now you do it with this week’s puzzles. If I can’t do the puzzles, I don’t need your paper! Ann Separation
