Trump is trading on our deeply ingrained racial hierarchy
Laurelton: Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man that he is better than the best colored man, he will not notice that you are picking his pocket.” Just give him someone to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.’
Unfortunately, this is still true. The world watched Donald Trump lose to Kamala Harris during their debate. He refused to be interviewed by “60 Minutes” because he didn’t want to be fact-checked, was found guilty of 34 felony charges, and endangered our national security by stealing top secret documents and spreading them around his Mar-a-Lago home for everyone to pick up and read. On top of that, he separated children from their families and lost those children to red tape, was impeached twice, and lied more than 40,000 times while increasing our national debt to more than $8 trillion.
It didn’t matter to America because his opponent was an upstanding, educated, and highly qualified black woman who had plans and policies that would have richly benefited us all. But many voting women whose reproductive rights Trump took away, Gold Star families he disrespected and whose funds he taxed, and Puerto Ricans he abandoned and allowed to be insulted, all voted for him because, despite his heavy orange glow of inferiority and betrayal, he gave them the false pride that they were better than those whose pigmentation was darker than theirs.
As Johnson stated, they didn’t see Trump picking their pockets, and in fact many of them even emptied their own pockets by buying his tacky sneakers, autographed Bibles and virtual playing cards. Celestino P. Monclova
The old guard
Hicksville, LI: Regarding all the Monday morning quarterbacking in an attempt to understand how Trump won, I believe the answer is obvious: there was no way the idiots in this country could have put a black woman in ‘ their White House would allow. And why do so many Americans feel this way? Again the obvious answer: three decades of Fox News. Steven Malinovsky
Imperfect idol
Union, NJ: In 2017, Trump referred to Andrew Jackson, the father of the “white republic” and a genocidal tyrant who spoke of recapturing or killing all those he felt did not belong here, as “a reflection of myself” ! Let’s look in the mirror and see that reflection! Lou Alt
Stop stealing
Manhattan: Full disclosure, I did not vote for Trump. I have mixed feelings about his victory. I do see the silver lining in the promise that Trump will deport all immigrants who are criminals. Maybe our corrupt and criminally indicted Mayor Adams will take notice. He created the migrant debacle with all the taxpayer giveaways: luxury hotels, free apartments and debit cards that cost billions of dollars more than necessary. If Adams were a migrant, he would be deported too. Patricia Clark
Attack on institutions
Ashburn, Virginia: It’s getting hard to keep up with Trump, and he’s not even president yet! On Sunday, he demanded that the Senate relinquish its constitutional prerogative to confirm presidential nominations. Hey, didn’t Time Magazine report that Germany started doing something like this before World War II? “[T]The Nazi leader eliminated and then dismantled the Weimar Republic. [He] exploited his [power] to block legislative processes, bludgeon or crush political opposition, and ultimately undermine the country’s democratic structures” (Time, April 26, 2024). Perhaps we should remember that George Santayana warned us that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Mike Barrett
Swing state sweepstakes
Walden, NY: So Elon Musk organized a lottery where voters in battleground states could win one of many $1 million prizes. I think we have become a country where vote buying is legal. Jake Milite
Unhealthy choice
Manhattan: Votemaker Gary Stein made compelling points about Trump’s decisive election victory, including the specter that he would once again surround himself with crazy, incompetent individuals. Just the thought that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would make consistent medical decisions regarding our nation’s healthcare is downright scary! Kennedy is a known anti-vaccine conspiracy theory nut! If Trump continues to give Kennedy an important position in his administration that has anything to do with the country’s healthcare system, the Senate should do its job and reject that nomination in short order! Hopefully there are senators who have enough common sense to do that. Millions of Americans have been put at risk by the mere suggestion that vaccines are dangerous! Trump’s potential nomination of RFK Jr. as some kind of “health czar” would be a catastrophic mistake! Gerard Rosenthal
No problem?
Monroe, NJ: I think I missed the President-elect’s message to veterans and their families on Veterans Day. So much for his pride in being the future commander-in-chief of the military. Maybe he felt there weren’t enough photo ops to do that. Katherine A. Moloney
Tackle the waste
Manhattan: “New York Waste Containerization Begins” (op-ed, Nov. 11) is a good step toward solving New York’s waste problems. Reducing waste is even better. New York can solve many of its waste problems with two bills awaiting passage in Albany. The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will encourage manufacturers to limit the amount of packaging they use and remove the toxins currently in packaging. Think about all those Amazon boxes in your mailroom. The Bottle Bill will incentivize citizens to return their empty bottles by increasing the redemption fee to 10 cents and expanding the types of bottles that can be redeemed. More bottles from the gutters and parks. My elected officials, State Senator Robert Jackson and Assemblyman Al Taylor, have signed on as co-sponsors of both bills. Let’s implement them by 2025 and make New York a leader in waste management. God knows we need good leadership now. Eileen Leonard
Tax refund
Whitestone: No wonder no one trusts Democrats anymore. Governor Hochul talks out of both sides of her mouth. First, she is “pausing” congestion pricing, stating that she is not going to saddle New Yorkers with an additional tax. Now she says she can bring it back with a 40% discount. So instead of $15 it becomes $9. Who are they kidding? This is another Democratic scam and another Democratic lie. That’s why most people don’t trust Democrats and they showed it on Election Day. Hochul needs to stop bleeding New York taxpayers. Gene O’Brien
Get educated
Glen Cove, LI: To voter Al D’Angelo: I was wondering if you were a teacher during the Vietnam era, because I was. I taught at a very large school in Queens, and there were five male teachers who were there to avoid the draft. None of us have attempted to indoctrinate our students in any way. We followed the curriculum just like everyone else. Furthermore, with the exception of me and one other person, the others left after the draft lottery went into effect. Certainly, these numbers would make it almost impossible to “indoctrinate” an entire generation of children and their children and grandchildren. That would have been quite an achievement. It would be helpful if people like D’Angelo wrote about something they actually understand, but I think that would severely limit their ability to write to the Daily News. Alan Rosengarten
Metro paving
Hillsdale, NY: One thing that could reduce or prevent subway surfing is designing the tops of subways with an inverted U or V roof so that no one can stand on them. Perhaps installing small, pointed spikes on the roofs of cars could also discourage subway surfing. It’s worth a try if it prevents someone from losing a limb or their life. Phil Antico
The long game
Valley Stream, LI: It appears the Aaron Rodgers era is over, but there could be a silver lining for the Jets. In just thirteen years, Jordan Love will turn 39 and I’m sure the Packers would love to make another trade. I’m sure the third time will be the charm. Allan Canino
Urgent matters
Omaha: From a die-hard Yankees fan all the way back to 1959: Pass on the signing of Juan Soto and properly address the more pressing needs of this roster. Tom Dahulick
