Trump proves you can be terrible and get ahead
Manhattan: I have always believed in the karma bus, and I mean always. But pretty much everything that could have/should have taken down (literally and figuratively) Teflon Don is actually coming back — not to bite him, but to escalate him to an even higher level of invincibility and power.
The immaculate political timing of the near-miss failed attempt on Donald Trump’s life (not to mention the soon-to-be-iconic photo taken of him in the immediate aftermath) combined with the Florida judge’s dismissal of his pending classified documents case on this first day of the Republican convention? I mean, this storyline is gettin’ pretty darn close to “The Twilight Zone” territory.
This is a man who has probably sinned more times and in more areas of life than any human not currently imprisoned. And yet, here we are. Dude is riding as high as he ever has in the months before this crucial presidential election. If there does exist a karma bus, it has clearly chosen to take a very long and winding road to arrive for Lil’ Donald. Unless it shows up very soon, Lucky Ducky Donald will soon, once again, become the leader of our Free World.
So, remember, kids: You, too, can commit every single one of the Bible’s seven deadly sins and still become president one day. Just make sure you remember to “grab ’em by the p—y” along the way and to inject yourself with some bleach any time you’re not feeling 100%. Gary Stein
Gender switch
Milford, Conn.: If there was ever a time for the Democrats to nominate a female candidate for president, this is it. Brian Smith
Blame the blues
Henderson, Nev.: The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump will go down in history as the moment we officially became a Third World banana republic thanks to Democratic Party leaders. They have been consistently encouraging their followers to engage in violence against Trump and his millions of followers, starting with President Biden. Our society is devolving to the point that Democrats are provoking a civil war. Those who advocate violence instead of peaceful dialogue and democracy should be ashamed of themselves. This can not be allowed to continue. There will be consequences for this tragedy and the Democrats will learn the hard way in November. Michael Pravica
Prepare for payback
Elmhurst: Liberals and Democrats have enraged conservatives by the attempt on President Trump’s life. They will face the anger they have awoken. Two things will happen: Trump will most certainly be reelected, and liberals in general and Democrats in particular will have targets on their backs because they drew first blood. They will deserve the beatdown they get. James League
Logical outcome
Bronx: The assassination attempt on ex-President Trump by shooting is what you get when there is no gun control and when you tout vengeance, violence and call most of the country your enemy. Rose Mary Lancaster
Primed for violence
Bronx: The media is inundated with statements that political assassinations are “not the way we do things in America.” Such statements fail to consider our country’s history. They are pronounced by individuals who are idealizing a system that is all too human and, occasionally, violent. N.Y. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler did point out that some campaign rhetoric is inflammatory when it accuses “the other side” of attacking democracy. I believe this is true (think Jan. 6). But would-be assassins do not react only to rhetoric. I’m certain these unhinged individuals sometimes listen to the voices inside their own heads and take action. Whether motivated by greed or ambition, the Brutuses of history will continue to try to carry out their goals. We should at least make it harder for them to employ assault weapons from afar. Both “sides” should agree on at least this much and start banning weapons that clash with the democratic ideal. Maria Bonsanti
Armed by design
Manhattan: In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an assault-weapons ban that outlawed the AR-15 and other semiautomatic rifles. Mass shootings were down in the decade that followed, compared to the decade before (1984-94) and the one after (2004-14), but they did not end entirely. After the assault-weapons ban expired under George W. Bush in 2004, gun makers quickly reintroduced them and sales were brisk. Laws vary by state, but in Florida, for example, anyone who is 18 or older with a clean record can purchase an AR-15-style rifle with no waiting period. At the rally in Butler, Pa., law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle from a deceased white male they believe was the gunman. The Second Amendment never intended for every American to be armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons. Gun policy in the U.S. is nutty. And Republicans are to blame. Daniel Dolgicer
Theorizing
Bronx: I abhor this kind of violence. There really is no room in society for actions like this. Innocent people were put in danger and indeed, at this time, two people are dead and several were critically wounded other than Trump. However, I can not help but think this is something I would not put past Trump. I would not be surprised if he had paid someone to shoot without hurting anyone, but it did not go as planned. After all, Trump has been playing the martyr, and I can just hear him say, “See? First they persecute me in the courts, and now they try to kill me.” Anna Maria McCorry
Delayed reaction
East Meadow, L.I.: I still can’t understand why the Secret Service didn’t move Trump out of the area until it was cleared once so many people noticed the shooter on the roof. Jeff Tuck
Fed up
High Bridge, N.J.: To Voicer Andre Carl Jones: It’s not so obvious to many Americans, fortunately. They’ve recently watched a Biden debate, a press conference and heard a radio interview in which he said he was proud to be the first Black woman to serve with a Black president. Like many Americans, therefore, I wouldn’t allow Biden to run my dishwasher let alone this country. Having seen and heard a multitude of similar Biden impairment videos and broadcasts on Fox News over the last four years, couple his continuing mind and body deterioration with his atrocious performances in the key areas of inflation, illegal immigration and foreign wars. It’s that lousy track record that causes Americans in all demographics to say in polls that they were better off four years ago than now. Yes, Trump, been there and done that. Not perfect, but far superior to the alternative. Dennis Ferrere
Mild condemnation
Oak Ridge, N.Y.: So, a guy takes a shot at Trump, kills an innocent family man and all Biden can say is, “Look, folks, tone it down.” Whew, OK, Mr. President, how extreme. Had Trump not turned his head at that exact moment, the bullet would have surely passed through the ex-, soon-to-be-new president’s temple and into his brain. Thank God Trump is lucky, and it is that luck I’m hoping that he and our country ride the next four years. So sorry for the family of the fireman who was killed and the others who were injured. Jim Heimbuch
Silly sprucing
Rego Park: It’s hard to feel sorry for owners of distressed office buildings in this city, but as a daily reader of the business pages, I’m led to believe anyone who isn’t Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk is pitiable. Some are putting cheesy amenities in their buildings — climbing walls and freaky art installations. Do something with pickleball, maybe virtual pickleball. However, there are rumblings in some quarters that pickleball is antisemitic. Crypto-bingo lunches in the community room might bring in Gen Z-ers. How about free Friday night prostate exams for the wellness center? Innovate, innovate, innovate. Jeff Rosenblatt
Honky-tonk request
Orangeburg, N.Y.: Listening to country music on a terrestrial radio station transmitting from either the Empire State Building or 1 World Trade Center in New York City should not be a privilege, but a God-given right. In other words, New York City needs a country radio station now! Joseph Dugan