I don't understand why stones were put on the Star of Davids with the names of the victims. It is my understanding that stones are placed on the tombstones after the person has been buried. I truly was disgusted with Trump's visit to Pittsburgh. I pray this horrible event is not the beginning of more massacres!!! My heart goes out to all at the TREE OF LIFE shul.
2
trump coming to Pittsburgh is like the arsonist going to watch the burning building. He cannot separate the hate that he preaches from the actions of his followers.
10
Trump did not need to openly say he hated Jews. All he had to do was promote an atmosphere of generic HATE, which he did with bullhorn and fireworks, and the haters will finish up the job.
6
I'm glad to see the voices of decency and rationality have all but drowned out and far out-recommended the Trump-supporting rabble here, who are all but fainting on the couch over the supposed "disrespect" shown the president.
Nevertheless, it would be helpful if, for once, Trump supporters would shut up, listen, and learn. Jews have been sounding the alarm about the pointlessly demonizing rhetoric of Donald Trump since before his election, pleading with him (and the Republicans) to stop it--including even in the days leading up to this massacre. And they wouldn't. Not after Charlottesville, and not even after this. Google the Lesser propaganda being sent out in Connecticut by the Republicans to see the latest vile example.
It's simply a lie to assert that the Republicans' anti-Semitic (veiled and overt) propaganda had nothing to do with this, when Jews have been sounding this alarm for years and this monster's own words repeat that rhetoric verbatim. What Jews and others of good faith have been warning about finally--inevitably--happened.
If the Republicans had anything at all to offer the "base," much less Americans in general, they wouldn't need to resort to this garbage.
Trump's grandchildren, converted daughter, and the Jerusalem capital move are irrelevant; purposeful deflections. Donald Trump and the Republicans are complicit in this atrocity. Period.
10
A reminder of Trump's visit to European Union when he pushed another leader out of his way to strut to the center and jutted his chin out like Mussilini. Trump demands to be the center of attention and considers himself KIng of the world since he controls the most powerful military in the world. On the other side he attacks a former bed mate porn star as a horse face while cowering in the presence of Putin who appears to own him for some reason. We have a wanna be dictator in Trump if we don't vote to rein him he may get his way. Remember his idol is Kim and Don Jr could be installed as our Dear Leader down the road under martial law.
7
The President is first and foremost a citizen who occupies for a limited time the Office of the Presidency and then returns after office as a private citizen. The President is not royalty nor a messenger of the Lord nor is his or her reign infinite.
In these times of charged emotions there is a question between respect and deference. The public has a right to protest, peacefully and without violence. There is no treason here.
4
America is many things. But one thing I have been holding as quintessential American is a sense of justice, of right from wrong. I still remember how my classmates came to the defense of a professor from India in grad school when he was verbally abused by a fellow classmate. I was deeply proud of that. Thus I shuddered when I saw on CNN recently a woman, identified as Republican voter, talking about the Cavanaugh case, saying "which teenage boy has not done something like that?" To me this is a sign of the ultimate betrayal of America, of abandoning the sense of right from wrong. Frankly I have not expected such words coming out of the mouth of any American, not any American I know! I was stunned. I do not know where America will be in 10 years!
7
I suppose there were thousands to great the president. Much like his inauguration.
1
Apologies if this a duplication but "normalization of PT behavior" is probably tangential to larger Pittsburgh tradgedy's issues. Still, imo necessary to note.
Put aside presidential behavior and requirements, civilized people - even those who cannot fairly be described as sensitive or empathetic - ought not present themselves when survivors make clear that their presence is not desired.
True also imo, even when there's merely a question as to whether their presence is desired.
1
Once again: reports say the shooter specifically called Jews offspring of”Satan”, a very unusual slogan even for the the white Nationalists Donald Trump has placed under his wing.
Unusual because the meme comes from the lowest of the loathsome Church of Christ, Christian, which, contrary to most of Paul’s canonized New Testament, it holds that Jesus was not and could never be Jewish, for Jews are the offspring of “Satan”.
It means that even the most marginalized radical right-wing folks have been allowed to rise to join the dangerous “action faction” that develops in, and is nurtured by the organizations Mr. Trump has called upon to act out in violence against his “enemies”, basically any and all who do not bow to him and the radicalized Congress.
As a NY Jew who was considering a move to lower-cost Pittsburgh, home of friends, I feel I owe an apology to my black, brown, and Islamic friends.
The 57%increase in serious anti-Semitic acts during Trump’s first year in office, and Saturday’s murder spree have become and stayed news, for in a world where there should be between 48 and 100 million Jews, there are only about 6 million, attributed to both the Shoah of the Nazis) we use the Hebrew, for holocaust gets applied to all manner of lesser acts, down ti accidental fires these days), the news media does not seem to keep score on the percentage of increase in pain, you, my fellow humans.
And the turbaned Sikhs killed, “mistaken” for Muslims, off-screen entirely.
6
Protesting the President's visit is the right of the citizens of this city in mourning.
I worry that in this age of 'tribal politics', liberal states will push back against visits by the President AND conservative states will push back against visits by Liberal Presidents.
People are angry and 'slippery slope' arguments are too rational for these voters. That being said, where does it lead us to? Not sure I like the answer nor will most folks...
2
Last time I checked, this birther president was the one who was endorsed by the KKK's official newspaper.
What other president has the equivlent.
5
I hope that a Pittsburgh contingent can pay respects in person at the funerals of Maurice Stallard and Vickie Jones in Kentucky.
It is all the same.
7
This from
https://www.ajc.org/news/how-do-we-fight-anti-semitism-in-2018-show-up-for-shabbat-stand-with-jewish-neighbors
"I can think of no better response to such a heinous violation of the sanctity of a synagogue than to encourage all American Jews to seek spiritual sanctuary in their sanctuaries, and to do so proudly and without fear. My organization, the American Jewish Committee, has launched the #ShowUpForShabbat campaign aimed at filling synagogues across the United States this weekend.
The doors of synagogues are open to all. If you consider yourself an ally of the Jewish people, join us in synagogue on Saturday morning. "
There will be 11 missing congregants this Saturday. If you are able show up to honor their memory.
6
I would add that every shooting such as this one puts the lie to the NRA's mantra that a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. We HAVE good people with guns. They are called police officers. But they cannot be everywhere and they cannot be constantly alert and they cannot be perfect. Arming people to the teeth results in this kind of atrocity. The NRA promotes arming people to the teeth. President Trump supports the NRA. Republicans oppose public funding for research on gun ownership's effects on society. Rational people recognize the danger President Trump and his like-minded colleagues pose to peaceful people everywhere, including the murder victims of the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue.
12
The disrespect shown the President of The United States is revolting. He is president for all of us and those who always protest are greater enemies than those abroad.
3
@Nreb
"The president of all of us" -- ??!??
Yeh, right. Why don't you tell that one to all of the people the MAGAbomber targeted and sent pipe bombs to - for starters.
4
If he wants respect he should try giving respect. You cant act like a bully and then be made when those you bully dont want you around.
6
If he is “president for all of us” then please explain why he refers to more than half of Americans as “evil” and “enemies” and refuses to denounce white nationalism even in the face of a slaughter in a synagogue carried out by a white nationalist.
11
The mayor of Pittsburgh asks the president to delay his visit and his request is ignored. Is there any way of penetrating the obtuseness of Mr. Trump, of determining whether or not he lacks the empathy so earnestly hoped for in our leaders? Effective leadership leans on the past in order to effectively deal with the present. As perilous as things are, Mr. Trump leans on his gut to the exclusion of all else. No one seems able to mitigate the harm done; no one seems able to stem his impulses.
11
From here in Quebec I was able to see the America that was stolen from you starting in 1964 at the GOP convention. When the Klan marched with their Goldwater signs outside the Cow Palace suddenly the America I was taught to believe in started to die.
We have seen Squirrel Hill front and center for four days. It is the America of love and inclusion and it still exists. It is time to fight the lies and the hate that those that embrace a philosophy they call conservatism with the love and truth Squirrel Hill has shown us over the last four days.
You cannot fight the Ted Cruzes, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnells, Fox News and Rush Limbaughs with anger and outrage, you can only create a more perfect union where love, truth and understanding combat and cancels their deadly venom.
10
Every day is affected by the odious presence and consistent degradation of our country by Trump. He is no a leader and it's no surprise that he would not heed the wishes of the mayor etc.
Rabbi Myers however is a true leader. He led by example and welcomed Trump, the person many people revile and reject. My hope includes thinking Rabbi Myers took the opportunity to speak truth to power and challenged Trump to consider his words.
I doubt that it penetrated Trump's being that Rabbi Myers treated him the way he should treat immigrants. But it penetrated mine.
10
Trump calls the poor Honduran civilians walking north 1,000 miles from the US border an "invasion," and calls up the regular military to the border. Fox News commentators parrot that accusation. Trump accuses George Soros, a Jew, of financing that march. The shooter, mouths the same "invasion" accusation o social media and kills 11 praying Jews in a synagogue which just happens to actively helps refugees resettle in the US. Then Trump, fresh from his barnstorming "invasion" rallies, flies into Pittsburgh to make a show of sympathy and deflect attention to his fear-mongering. These are facts, which many of those commentating on this article see as leftist hatred. Time to judge who is fomenting hatred.
20
I have friends who were among the protests. They all turned their backs on the president, a very effective and simple gesture.
He's planning on coming to Cleveland next week. I know people who are working on providing him with a similar reception.
24
Mike Pence to the rescue by inviting a fake Rabbi to commemorate the Pittsburgh murders. Totally clueless puppet of Trump.
19
I was surprised that so many commenters felt that Trump came as a comforter. He came because it was a good photo opp. . The man as no true compassion. Note his comments on Puerto Rico where he thought it was cute to through paper towels to a devastated people and then put them out of his mind. That's compassion?
18
The visit wasn't a condolence call. It was a victory lap.
13
Democrats protesting the president while he attempted to pay his respect to the dead was beyond tasteless. But these are the same people who think forming mobs and harassing people at restaurants is somehow ok.
2
Yeah, they’re almost as bad as the Tea Party protesters who spat on congressmen and women in the run up to the 2010 midterm. Maybe if Trump didn’t act so disgusting at his rallies all the time he would be more welcome and make more Americans feel united. Ha! I know, I got a good laugh out of that one too.
10
I've noticed there are Trump fans herein claiming that Trump deserves some respect for taking time out of his busy rallying schedule and that "they" who have protested against his visit are just trouble-makers.
Among those referred to as "they" -- The Anti-Defamation League.
Remaining Holocaust Survivors who have condemned Trump's separation policies and the rhetoric used by Trump who referred to people seeking asylum as an "infestation".
The 11 jewish leaders in Pittsburgh who pushed back against the President's visit.
The Jewish Refugee Agencies in Pittsburgh who are demanding that Trump renounce white supremacists.
Did he renounce them?
No.
The only two newspapers endorsing Trump in 2016 were: (1) The National Enquirer; and (2) the Crusader - the KKK"s official monthly newspaper.
The only 1 he's renounced is the National Enquirer.
And in March 2017, Pennsylvania's Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, after speaking with Trump about a wave of threats to Jewish community centers , said that Trump's reply was that the community itself probably perpetrated these acts themselves to make "others look bad".
So, I have only one question for the Trump fans herein:
What makes you think a man as morally bankrupt as Trump is ever going to renounce his bigoted statements.
Name when he has.
18
Pittsburgh, it terrifies me and breaks my heart to see what happened in Squirrel Hill. I mourn with you. Your resolve and good will as a city persevere. The Jewish community is continuously in my thoughts and prayers. My family has been there for over 200 years, with my parents leaving in the 1980s. In many ways, it has always been a second home.
29
I can't imagine President Trump has any heart-felt feelings for anybody. I don't believe he feels any sadness over the shootings. He is simply an empty person who puts his own well-being over everything and everyone else. He only cares about himself. He has never shown any genuine feelings for even his own children or even wife, for whom he did not even get a birthday present. He simply is for Trump alone.
11
Did Donald Trump say or do anything that would console those grieving? No. Instead, he added to their pain and anguish by attacking the Constitutional right to "birthright citizenship" for immigrants and only adding to the ghoulish trauma he's responsible for by inciting his alt-right base, including the man who massacred 11 Jewish worshipers who welcome immigrants and do not view them as "invaders." The words the killer used are the words Donald Trump used. This is Trump's campaign closing argument--fear the "other," fear the immigrant "caravan" as a "rapists," or "criminals"-- and he and his Republican enablers have the blood of those 11 Jews on their hands. Hate speech causes hateful acts. It's time for America to be united in voting "No" to hate, "No" to gun massacres, and "No" to Republicans, and say, as my Jewish Holocaust family said, "#NeverAgain."
20
It hurts me to say this but I find the protesting of a presidential visit for this sad event at this time disgusting, wrong, and stupid but seemingly representative of the perpetually angry. How about protesting the sad state of affairs in your city, state, or region that gives rise to the throw away people. Think outside your rage of the day and try loving, giving, seeing all people as equals.
7
Send this message to Trump
6
@Mike
It hurts me that I'm glad my father - who fought in the 101st Airborne, Yankee Infantry Division during WWII - is not alive to see this Mussolini-quoting Nationalist in office.
And I find it sad that whenever Trump opens his mouth at one of his rallies, he might as well be spitting on my father's grave.
3
Donald was advised not to go to Pittsburgh, but Donald knows best. I guess his gossamer thin skin was bruised by the protests or maybe he was mad because his usual enabling GOP goon squad declined to accompany him. Well, ever the victim, Donald tweeted today that the protests were small and he didn't even see them. No thought to how this personal griping will look against the facts of the matter which are that 11 Americans were murdered because of their faith while at prayer, but we are supposed to understand that Donald is the aggrieved party. He has been badly treated. Now the tweet is deleted by someone with an iota of common sense. Crazy town.
Get ready for a woe is me grievance festival if the midterms don't go his way.
6
Many on the right believe mistakenly that many or most liberals hate Trump. We don't hate the man, rather we are both dumbfounded and disturbed that a bloviating, incompetent showman who openly traffics in conspiracy theories, pathological lying, and bigoted rhetoric is supported by 40% of the country. Particularly disturbing to me, as a Jew, are Orthodox Jews, such as Tova Weinberg, quoted I this article, who purport to love Trump. Such Jews to me seem so blinded by their knee jerk tribalism, that they embrace a man who is not only hateful, but dangerous. To speak out agains this is not hate. It is responsibility.
19
Is incorrigible too strong of a word for this president, if so what else could one say of a person who simply does not listen or heed council?
The people of Pittsburgh are hurt beyond reason. The time for comfort would have been when the violence occurred and the words he chose could have been wiser.
Be that as it may, the Jewish culture demands an expeditious burial, Shiva ritual, and privacy for the families involved. It does not include the pomp and circumstances of a dignitary at this time, especially if he was asked to stay away from the city. Albeit, the reasons include more than this, and they are political as well, and for many, more than likely, the cause of the incident in the first place.
5
The NYTimes published an article yesterday, implying that the Jewish people mourning the dead in Squirrel Hill did not want Trump, that he was not welcome. Our local news last night showed quite the opposite. There were a few that didn't want him to come, but the vast majority were welcoming. Shame on those using this tragedy to promote hate and blame towards Trump. What is there to gain? How is it you keep promoting something that is only being pushed by what is now a group of career protesters. Trump is no more guilty of causing this tragedy than Obama was guilty of shooting a bunch of Republicans playing ball. And to support any and all protests across the country, especially those at a time of grief, is negligent at best. I listened to a rabbi on TV last night who had welcomed Trump to visit; he's received hundreds of hate emails as a result. I suppose that is Trump's fault too? What a sad state of affairs when a paper such as the NYTimes promotes or condones this hate.
22
@Ma: Have you considered the fact that your local news was biased. The letter asking Trump to not come to Pittsburgh was signed by over 44,000 individuals. Admittedly, some may not have been from Pittsburgh but many were. Fact is, the truth is somewhere between the extremes.
31
i thought this was a pretty well balanced article, not sure how you arrived at this conclusion
20
@Ma You simply are wrong to compare Trump and Obama. Trump regularly preaches hate and promotes white supremacy and xenophobia and has retweeted clearly anti-Semitic messages. Obama never promoted hate or animosity towards anyone, but was the object of racist animosity that led to Trump's 2016 win. Trump's promotion of hate and xenophobia clearly can be linked to this shooting. He tells people it is ok to hate. In the year after Trump's election, antisemitic acts increased over 50%. While that is only a correlation, it is more than just a coincidence. Those who hate wanted Trump to win. Now the representative of hatred occupies the White House.
45
Trump tries to score political points using murder victims that he contributed to; vile and selfish. Vote out Republicans to bring America back from the brink of dictatorship. Ray Sipe
3
Deliver us from Evil . . . Deliver us from Trump . . . VOTE!
8
Trump needs to tell us about the "fine people" he knows among the Nazis who invaded Charlottesville. Until then, any sympathy he expresses about the Nazi's victims is fake.
8
Trump is a corrupt, showboating imbecile. His presence in Pittsburgh yesterday was an insult to those of us who are saddened by his Mussolini quotes, his proclaiming himself t o be a nationalist, his pandering to white supremacists (he even has them in his administration), his referring to refugees as an "infestation" and treating them as if they're garbage; the neo-nazis who shout "Hail Trump" at their meetings, hsi claim that it was "both sides" who intimidated people in West Virginiaa and that the MAGAbomber is just an inconvenience.
And now his photo-op while people are in mourning so because yesterday didn't interfere with his hate-filled rallies.
Until he condemns White Supremacists, rather than joining him, he is nothing but an eye sore and a national disgrace.
13
Trump is not fit for office. Trump is ripping America apart by promoting "nationalism"; which is code word for White Supremecy. Trump rips America apart by attacking anyone who disagrees with him; for example calling Andrew Gillum a "thief" and the news media "enemy of the people". Trump is not fit for office. Ray Sipe
12
I agree, Trump is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t with respect to visiting Pittsburgh.
But it’s his own damn fault.
He’s abhorrent, greedy, and I’ve got to say sinful. And he’s taking us all to Hell with him; that’s the worst part.
14
Great photo op for the Psycho in Chief!
5
If the President wouldn't visit Pittsburgh then he would be criticized for being insensitive or even worse somehow being sympathetic to the shooter. No matter what, the same people will complain. It is shameful to politicize this tragedy. The shooter is 46 years old it is doubtful that he became a hater only in the last two years after President Trump got elected, are we going to blame the previous administration as well?
3
If thousands can come out and show their respects and disgust over what has recently happened, then why not stand strong against gun laws and a hateful head of state? It took a lot of strength as a nation to exit Vietnam. There are millions that know what good represents, do the right thing, align and remove the cancer.
3
As for the Trump supporters who were quoted in this article, one should ask if they can see past the first half of Hillel's aphorism: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?", to the bottom line: "If I am only for myself, what am I?"
These people worship a hater, bigot and liar just because they think moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was actually accomplishing something. They ignore the fundamental ethics of Judaism, which entail "treating the stranger like the homeborn", "not doing to others what is distasteful to you", etc.
Their willfully ignoring Trump's kidnapping of little children away from their parents, their insouciance about the bigotry and nastiness and lying that characterize everything about Trump and his minions -- all these things are shameful and dishonor us all.
7
In 2006, a young man walked into a schoolhouse in Amish Country, not so far away from the NYTimes bldg......and shot 5 children dead. The Amish families did not form angry mobs in the streets and shout at Pres Bush. They kept to themselves and gave one public announcement...."Leave us alone to grieve.....we forgive the murderer and will pray for his tortured soul." That was it. The outside public signalled that it was impressed but also inwardly shaking their heads as to why no cry for vengeance?, no lashing out at any nearby target? Why no blaming of American Society?
3
Trump is the divisive one. There would be no protests if he had stayed home. Isn’t that obvious?
2
A liberal left wing group was protesting the President's visit? Go figure...
3
Excuse me, the campaigner-in-chief will have a rally when he wants and where he wants. Even if it’s at your funeral. Why would that get in the way?
Besides, he’s president and you’re not. Duh
I’m surprised he didn’t look at the coffins and say something like, “what?! I’m alive and you’re not!”
4
What I am struck by?
"The President sat for about an hour with Peg Gottfried, the widow of Richard Gottfried, one of those killed on Saturday".
His obscene need for attention has reached a new low in inserting himself in Peg Gottfried's time of loss.
If this event had happened during President Obama's time in office, he would have written a lovely, heartfelt note to her or called her at an appropriate time.
7
Trump is tone deaf. Its all about optics, and fitting this in before the election with all other campaigning. Using dead Jews as an election prop can only be described as obscene. Bringing his Jewish son in law and daughter does not give him cover.
He also brought flowers. He has so little interest in what is the correct thing to do, he doesn't know you don't bring flowers to a Jewish funeral or to a family sitting shiva. You send a tray of food.
6
@Slr. Thank you, I thought the same thing. Why didn’t his “senior advisors”, Jared and Ivanka, school him on the etiquette of Jewish funerals?!
1
To suggest that Trump's anti-semitic libel that a Jewish billionaire is financing the caravan coming towards the U.S. didn't directly cause these deaths is ludicrous. The gunman explicitly stated why he chose to specifically murder Jews.
No, Trump didn't pull the trigger, but he created a complete falsehood and at atmosphere that encourages butchery of Jews (Good People on Both Sides).
Trump will never change. His hatred, misogyny, racism and anti-semitism will only fester and grow if he's not checked.
Vote Blue on Tuesday. It should be a Commandment for our people.
8
That Trump would not change his campaign schedule in respect of funerals of those massacred is............unconscionable!
5
Guys, can you please lay off Donald J Trump?
He’s just campaigning. He never said he was governing. And his campaigns work. #somuchwinningyouregoingtobetiredofwinning
So what’s your problem? Must be just tired, low energy people.
People murdered in a house of worship unthinkable.
A killer having a rationale for his actions unbelievable.
A nation not united in response to this tragedy unacceptable.
May you rest in peace and never be forgotten.
3
This guy has gone from ‘anything for a buck’ (ie, golden urinals? wrestling? board games?) to ‘anything for a vote.’ Too bad it wasn’t a warmer day, president tin-cup could have gotten in a round at the nearest non-integrated club.
3
Such foolishness. A protestor screaming at Trump: "It's not about you!". Neither was it about her or her angry cohorts. They indulged their own anger at the expense of everyone else. Shameful behavior.
3
Shameful behavior from Trump. He is the great divider.
4
@AACNY, victim-hood is just a way to justify burdening others with the otherwise socially unacceptable anger and rage that most hopefully have been taught to keep to themselves because nobody wants to hear because they have their own problems to deal with too.
The silent GOP …..who say nothing against hate speech; nothing
against the military assault weapons which kill children; people
worshiping in synagogues or mosques or
Christian churches ….silent majority ….is so very silent and
by their tacit approval of hate speech; of bigotry or violence they
silently approve of the character of the worst President in US
History.
Silence ; and the morality of our nation is being thrown in the
gutter...by these jackals who are GOP/Republicans only by
their usurpation of what had once be The Party of Abraham
Lincoln....
The revulsion of the people of Pittsburgh PA is warranted !!!
5
The media needs to take responsibility and walk back this tragic look into the ugliest parts of America.
If you put him on page 2, he'd be less effective promoting hate and violence. Ah, but you wouldn't make as much money or you'd have to actually cover complex issues.
Every day major papers and CNN and networks cover this idiot. They helped him become popular outside of his crass life and reality show and they just keep giving the Drumpf cartel free news every day. How about a small headline on page 2, instead. Just a small column "Updates of inappropriate statements, tweets, and photo ops by this family."
I'm sure if his family was selling steaks and their college and their swampy golf course, the Times would cover that, too.
2
Trump is not using a dog whistle or a wink and nod to murderous white nationalists and anti-semites. With his language he's using a megaphone and they're loving it! Check out the most recent Terry Gross NPR podcast - she interviews Eli Saslow who has written extensively on Don Black, the founder of the Neo nazi/white Nationalist website StormFront, and on Don's son Derrick who has renounced his father's movement. Saslow and Derrick explain the movement, their motives and the language.
2
Quo vadis?, mr. trump.
(I'll just pray that your efforts to take us down in the hole that you're in don't 'survive.')
1
“How dare they blame Trump for this,” said Tova Weinberg, a registered Democrat and Orthodox Jew who voted for Mr. Trump. “We love what he’s doing for Israel, we love what he’s doing for the economy. I’m just crazy about him.”
Let that one sink in.
2
If you want divisiveness, the media’s behavior has been spot on.
Why try and create the narrative that Trump is unwelcome by the Jewish community or the broader community?
If Trump does go he’s a villain. If Trump doesn’t go, he’s a villain and nobody wants him there.
“Religious leaders” is the term used to describe people like the Minister of some church or other that lived a few doors down ranting in the street with both of her shapely congregants on hand.
“We welcome everyone here!!!”
“You’re not welcome here!!!!”
30k+ comments on that clip and you have to search really hard to find someone willing to stick their neck out and support that kind of behavior. Most brutally savage the woman as the perfect example of a Liberal.
If Americans’ views align anything like those comments, Democrats are in deep trouble.
1
C’mon. Face up to what he is - HE created this narrative. Government by insult, government by eradicating everything his majority-elected predecessor did. Government by lying - literally from Day 2! Trashing an absolutely brilliant and ethical man in Mueller for sheer convenience. It’s confusing, and dangerous, and it was endorsed by David Duke. There are 3 hopes here. Two are voting and Mueller. The third is people such as yourself considering the possibility that you made a huge mistake. That might become easier in a few weeks when a Vietnam hero and widely respected former head of the FBI, a Republican, lays out the evidence.
2
@Lenny Kelly
Keep the hope alive, Lenny.
Almost like a funeral for a murdered victim and the murderer shows up.
4
The article fails to mention that the protestors walked and sang for four hours, with the dominant message, "you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you denounce white supremacy". And NYT fails to note that he still has not done so. That the nytimes headline subheading says he came to "pay his respects"... that's REAL fake news.
6
I was sorry that the Rabbi invited him to the service against the wishes of some of the victims' families (according to news reports). I doubt very much if any of the other families said, "Gee, we need to have the President there so that he might better explain about how it was partially our fault that we didn't have armed guards in our synagogue. Maybe then we would have had a dead guard to mourn as well..."
And I am sorry that the NY Times keeps framing these frequent conversations with silly propositions like this one: "But if Mr. Trump’s visit was intended to bring healing, it instead laid bare the nation’s deep divisions." Listen writers, no one in the real world expects a visit by the President to heal anything... He is a picker of scabs, a rubber of salt in the wounds, a narcissist who reaches for the spotlight... He lives on the divisiveness that he has mastered.
Only John McCain has gotten it right so far...
"Do not invite Trump to my funeral..."
12
I do not understand why the President of a country is not welcome at a place to mourn the dead.How is he responsible for the incident? Just because he said that the Synagogue should have some guard.It would not have completely eliminate but reduce the chances of an attack.Carrying placards or lighting a lamp wont bring the dead back but the Hon.President's gesture of sympathy should have been appreciated.
4
It saddens me that the comments (Times' Picks) focus so much on Trump.
I will tell you that the feeling as we marched up Beechwood Blvd was one of unity as neighbors and as citizens and as mourners for those murdered at Tree of Life.
The only overt moment of protest came when we heard the sirens of Trump's motorcade. Then we turned our backs to him and knelt down.
Then we moved on.
Our march continued on down the street past the police station. Officers stood outside and as we passed, streams and streams of people, we all clapped and thanked them.
The marched ended in the heart of Squirrel Hill with speeches - words of hope and plans for change.
We are all neighbors.
I will build this world from love
And you must build this world from love
And if we build this world from love
Then God will build world from love
Psalms 89:3
69
@This is my Pittsburgh. Amen!
npsapere
4
@npsapere
"It saddens me that the comments (Times' Picks) focus so much on Trump."
Help us understand why you don't get this focus on Trump? Do you really believe his words did not incite the synagogue killer, or the mail bomber, or the 2 that killed the 2 blacks in the grocery store?
10
bravo npsapere.
i cried upon reading your words.
Canada is with you and your community.
We acknowledge Trump as your predident but i have no respect for him or what he stands for. It won't be long before the northern wall is considered.
thank you for your words of inspiration.
2
Throughout history Jewish people had been victims of empires and other "religions".
Civilized people owe much to the Jewish people and their traditions. There is no other religious-ethnic group that has given more than the Jewish people to civil society in relation to their relatively small numbers compared to other global cultures. They excel in science, social sciences, justice; medicine; businesses; arts, sports and entertainment.
Scapegoating Jewish people for social shortcomings must end. It requires changes to remove First Amendment protection of hateful written, spoken and illustrated acts against "minorities".
We are all sinners. There is no one without sin. If we do not end hateful acts online or otherwise, we are complicit.
John 8:1 - 11. - https://forums.catholic.com/t/john-8-1-11-casting-the-first-stone/323142
3
Trump's supporters are largely bigots and misogynist of various stripes. Of course they crave his divisive, hate-filled rhetoric: no modern president has ever willingly and openly given such people the acknowledgement and tacit approval they want.
It's wrong in several ways to give it to them.
VOTE.
6
This is not about just bad manners.
Trump's message to his followers is that he doesn't take orders from Jews. The point of showing a lack of respect for Jews burying their dead is that he respects neither the Jewish dead nor Jewish mourners.
The visit itself was an act of antisemitism. For heaven's sake, the man was chanting "lock him up" about George Soros just a couple of days before.
10
I was struck by the author’s description of “Hoodie-wearing college students and Orthodox Jews with black hats and long beards walked alongside demonstrators carrying militant signs and middle-aged parents pushing strollers.”
Hoodie’s, black hats, militant signs. All conjure scary images of evil doers. Why choose these words? By all accounts these were peaceful protests against hate and especially the use of hateful, scary words which spur anger.
4
There never has been a President with an Orthodox Jewish daughter, Orthodox Jewish grandchildren, and a stronger supporter of Israel
Yet Trump hate overrides it - a sad day for Israel and the US
5
There is something in this story that parallels the old joke about the man who shoots his parents and then asks for the court's mercy because he is an orphan.
Trump has no shame.
8
Trump’s supporters and Fox may deny it all they want, Sarah Huckabee Sanders can deny it all she wants, most of the Republican congressional members can deny it all they want, but these horrible acts of violence and murder are because of trump and his childish, narcissistic, uneducated, rhetoric. He has constantly and publicly called for violence, supported violence, praised violence and his non-stop verbal attacks against every democrat, the free and true press, allied nations, the parents of fallen veterans, and every single person who opposes him has been a catalyst for the violence perpetrated by his ignorant, racist, brainwashed supporters. Trump is the enemy of the United States. His presidency is truly invalid and illegitimate by the landslide victory of Hillary Clinton in the popular vote...the only true count that should matter. More than 3,000,000 Americans did not want this immoral and corrupt person as their president, but we did not matter. Is it not time for our congress to be controlled by democrats who can begin their terms by filing articles of impeachment against this corrupt individual?
Words do matter. Trump’s constant words of hatred and violence make him responsible for the atrocities that have been occurring. We must hold him responsible and we must hold his supporters in congress accountable. We must go to the polling stations in droves and cast our votes for the democrats, progressives, and any other man or women, who will stand firm against TRUMP!
7
One could say that Trump returned to the scene of the crime.
3
I wonder if American Jews, who are, when compared to other minority groups, much better assimilated and integrated into American society, have much more wealth, power and political influence and are leaders in politics, business and academics, will continue to support Trump and the Republicans.
For example, there many older Jewish voters in Florida who are relatively conservative and have supported Republican candidates. How will they vote now after Trump incitements have led to a massacre in a synagogue.
Will wealthy Jews like Sheldon Adelson continue to finance and support Trump and his ilk?
I applaud and salute HIAS for not forgetting the bitter history of Jewish refugees and helping non-Jews like Muslim refugees to settle in safe harbors.
However, how many other Jews in America will stand in solidarity with all the "Others" who have been denigrated and attacked by Trump and other white supremacists?
2
Best line here:
Dominick Candelore, the co-owner of a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream shop at the heart of Squirrel Hill, disagreed with some Jewish leaders who opposed a presidential visit.
“To me, I welcome him, I welcome him with open arms,” he said. “I don’t have to agree with all his views, but it’s a stand-up thing for him to do.”
Let's be like Dominick. Just for today. Please.
Both sides, tone down your rhetoric. Please.
3
The Trumps have no manners and no shame; they push in everywhere as Ivanka and Jared did at McCain's funeral. The most unpleasant man in public life, ever. The majority of the country is exhausted by him.
12
Both sides agree that politics has become too personal. Rather than a dialogue about differences on the issues, the other guy is a "bad person," a "low life."
This is a phenomenon that was brewing for years, but now Trump has taken to levels that lead even to domestic terrorism.
Trump has taken us there, maybe not intentionally, but because he is incapable of dialoguing on issues. Not only doesn't he possess ideology, but he is incapable of the kind of focus and attention to detail that intelligent discussion entails. His only alternative is to attack the other person.
He is so simplistic that his attacks are always vicious, e.g., "lock her/him up, higher taxes, bad person, low life, sad, etc."
We need to get past this/Trump. Hopefully, Tuesday will be the first step toward restoring the checks and balances our constitutional structure requires.
1
When the only thing preventing federally endorsed pogroms by " some really good people" is the state of Javanka's marriage, we have a serious problem.
3
Trump owns the divisions.
3
The protests are not surprising. Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) is one of only five PA counties which Mrs. Clinton clearly carried in 2016 compared to the 49 which overwhelmingly went (> 60%) for Mr. Trump.
(https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/pennsylvania)
Such a time of grief, yet it becomes about trump. People are slaughtered by angry white men who cling to trump and say it’s ‘unfair ‘ that other people matter. He has trained his family. Things are ‘unfair’ when they are critiqued, or so they say. His wife thinks it’s ‘unfair ‘ that she iso bullied, living a life of luxury on tax payers money. This is trump ‘s con. A person devoid of empathy and feelings for others, he promotes hates because that is what energizes him. Hate launched him to the highest office despite a history of suspicious criminal financial dealings. And now at the funerals of decent people slaughtered by the NRA, his supporter, it will be ‘unfair ‘ that all did not welcome him. RIP dear victims. We cry for you at the true unfairness of your deaths. Bless you all.
2
How's the hate going this morning. Ah, I see the epidemic is still active.
3
The Democrats blaming this on Trump reminds me of the Kavanaugh hearings. So much hatred not only towards Trump and his family but also his supporters. I would ask who is dividing the country?
3
If more than one of the survivors wants the President in Pittsburgh >> then 100 angry protesters.
1
Doubt protestors represented bulk of Jewish community. Remember President’s daughter and son-in-law are Jewish and killer hated Trump. Who is really spreading hatred? Sickening that some and the media exploit such a tragedy to divide for political gain.
3
Signs read “Words matter” and “President Hate is not welcome in our state.”
And President Hate proved Pitttsburg correct as he ramps up his nasty name calling and incites more violence with his fiery lies about immigrant, "INVADERS" heading for the borders and sends troops to ward off an NATIONAL SECURITY ATTACK by all women and children escaping from horror and starving in their home country to seek asylum here.
So this "Tree of Life" mass murder used Trump's "Invader" threats as a reason to kill 14 innocent, extraordinary human beings in Pittsburg. So is Trump paying for this murderers legal fees for doing as instructed, stopping "invaders"?
There is an especially dark place in the afterlife for people like Trump.
3
So president Trump arrives at the Tree of Life Synagogue to light candles in remembrance of victims savagely slaughtered only to be greeted by 1,000 protesters bleating “no more hate”. It seems their own hate is so ingrained that they are incapable of acknowledging or even recognizing a simple act of empathy and compassion.
16
This was not empathy. It was self promotion. He admitted he had a heavy campaign schedule and had to find a way to fit it in. It’s all about the optics.
64
An “act” of empathy and compassion—exactly. With Trump it’s all an act. He has never shown anything that passes for genuine understand and compassion. Whenever he mouths platitudes it is so obviously scripted it would be funny if it wasn’t so pitiful.
This trip to Pgh. was insensitive and callous. He made it about him.
41
Are you serious? Do you not understand that words have consequences? Why is this president treated with kid gloves? He is just as responsible for his words and actions as the rest of us... if not more! He is president for heavens sake!
36
A bit of investigative journalism concerning the 2 purportedly Jewish groups that oppose the President’s visit are, in fact, primarily left wing political groups and not Jewish groups. One of the groups, Bend the Arc, is led by Alexander Soros (son of guess who) and other left wing political figures. Little doubt the other is as well. Come together with civility over this heinous act? No, for too many on the left it is divisive politics firs—the very thing they say they despise about Trump. Hypocrisy.
8
Why do you have to bring politics into this. Many individuals, including local municipal leaders asked Mr Trump not to go to Pittsburgh, for several reasons, first of which was the allow the families to mourn first; the city also needs to provide security for the mourners and allow them to get where they need to go. Trump decided (there was no coordinated plan) with city leaders. Presidents tie up traffic and shift resources to themselves when they travel to communities. Mr Trump is displaying lack or respect for the needs of the community.
30
@ehillesum
Spot on, ehillesum. Also interesting to note that Bend the Arc yesterday claimed 60,000+ signatures from Pittsburgh's Jewish citizenry opposed our President's visit, when a February, 2018, study by the Pittsburgh Post-gazette concluded the actual Jewish population of Pittsburgh is 49,200.
2
Well, another comment here asked when George Soros would be blamed. And although it is another Spros here you are. His question has been answered. Trump and his fans are too predictable.
3
Such shameful behavior from the left.
The President comes to comfort the families of the fallen - the left protests that.
For shame.
31
Trump had less than no interest in comforting anyone. If he did he would have stayed away. Far away.
Trump incites the climate of violence that facilitated these tragic deaths. He should be in prison, not Pittsburgh.
73
The President who deliberately, consistently, loudly, and viciously stoked the bigotry that led to this (and other) violence is who should be ashamed, and he has no business in Pittsburgh. This trip is self-promotion, not condolence.
57
He comes to comfort no one. If he truly cared about this community, he would have respected city officials’ requests to remain away until after the funerals, and then paid his visit. The only one exercising shameful behavior here is Trump, who is barging in without a thought for others and against officials’ requests, and only days after having more or less blamed the victims by saying if the synagogue had been staffed with an armed guard this wouldn’t have happened. The left has nothing to do with this. Trump is the sole owner of his own disgrace.
56
DJT should stay away for about a week. He is not popular in Pittsburgh. He did not win the 2016 election in the city of Pittsburgh or Allegheny county. Hillary Clinton won 75% of the vote in city limits; ~60% of the vote in Allegheny county. Trump did win in the surrounding rural counties.
46
It is absolutely outrageous that the few liberals in Pittsburg could not for just a few minutes put aside their hate for Trump and welcome him to Tree Of Life at this time of mourning. Must everything be about politics for these people? Come on people. Just for a few moments let's come together and pray for these poor victims of untenable violence. Let's not make this about liberals and Trump! Peter Alexander on NBC led off with this and he should be fired for his lack of empathy for the victims. He could not pass up a shot at Trump!
21
It seems that you're missing the point: the link between Trump's rhetoric, increasingly virulent in recent weeks as the midterms approach, and the acts of some of his supporters. For many of us this link is incontrovertible and the only decent thing to do was to protest Trump's presence in Pittsburgh.
49
@Dan Locker Was it not Trump who could not pass up the spotlight, who inserted himself where he was not invited and was by at least some not wanted. He could have waited. He could have toned it down. He didn't.
45
@Dan Locker The shooter was inflamed by Trump's rhetoric against the incredibly dangerous caravan of Central American peasants (sarcasm). That's what made him target this specific synagogue since they had a history of helping refugees. This is utterly clear to anyone who looks into this.
Trump has blood on his hands and so do his supporters.
BTW it's pretty clear there's more than a few liberals in Pittsburgh.
Also, have you really not noticed that Trump makes everything be about him?
30
Good for my former neighbors in Squirrel Hill for refusing to act as props in Donald Trump's latest attempt at a humanizing photo op. Larry Fingeret is correct: Donald Trump didn't invent anti-Semitism. Nor did he invent political violence. But it's fair to ask, what has Trump done with his bully pulpit to alleviate either?
163
@NA
Trump, alleviate anti-Semitism and political violence? He doesn't alleviate it he encourages it.
It's going to take a very long time to recover what this POtuS has done and the only way we can do it is to VOTE!
17
I grew up in a Jewish family with a grandmother who studied the Holocaust for a living. There were always conversations at the dinner table about antisemitism, but the kind my ancestors faced seemed like another world. Still, there were always rumblings that it could re-emerge at any time, and Pittsburgh's tragedy is a reminder that it can. But because Trump is unhinged from any moral compass, and lacks moral direction as a result, he often fails to see that his actions have much greater influence than the actions of the rest of us. Perhaps he recognized that there was "blood on his hands", since the killer in Pittsburgh nearly identically echoed his rhetoric, and that he needed to go to pay his respects and make amends. But because of past hateful speech against people who are unlike him, I am afraid to say I doubt this to be the case. Instead, I fear that this visit to Pittsburgh is yet another example of political opportunism, by perhaps the greatest opportunist in our nation's political history. May the poor souls of Pittsburgh rest in peace, and may their memories be for a blessing.
99
A hate crime has been comitted. It is hatred that sown and grown through divisive rhetoric and discourse cascading from the very top of the executive branch of the United States government. No, the mass murderer was not in cahoots with Trump or any government official. But blatant discriminatory attitudes and practices toward non-white groups have consequences. Words have meaning and power. Accumulated overtime, they act as faucets of hatred, growing the seeds of hate.
There are many clinically singular aspects toward this president. One of them is the tendency to take both the side of the victim and the perperatrator. He is no doubt on the war path to halt both legal and illegal immigration at any means necessary. He has already reducted the quota set for refugee applications for this year. He seeks only people from Norway.
To force himself on the city of Pittsburgh, and the community of Squirrel Hill is the equivalent of the arsenist visiting the scene of the fire. Yes, he might not have comitted the shooting himself. But by not disavowing Davi Duke, by not unequivocally denoucing the Nazis that marched in Charlottesville, by not rejecting nativism, by embracing (white) nationalism, he is granting permission.
He has not called out the antisemtisim, xenophobia, homophobia, and Islamaphobia that has been growing since his acension to the office. Why? Bececause he is a devout practicioner of these discriminations. He is the commander of hate.
4
I'm surprised he didn't throw boxes full of Kleenex at them.
8
Hang tough, City of Steel. The world is with you. Peace.
3
Donald Trump and his supporters are as guilty of murder as the man who pulled the trigger. They're evil to the core.
4
Has President Trump used the word "terrorist" to describe the gunman and the act as "terrorism"?
2
@C'est la Blague. No he has not. Neither has the press. The pipe bomber is a domestic terrorist. The Shooter in Kentucky is a domestic terrorist. The killer in the synagogue is a domestic terrorist. 3 domestic terror acts in one week in the United States. All intended to inspire fear. Definition of terrorism. Use accurate terminology people.
1
Where is the hate speech dripping campaign rally tonight right after he leaves Pittsburgh?
The person inhabiting the white house is beneath contempt. He doesn't care about these or any victims.
2
Trump, the only president in US history to call a mass murder a `disruption'. Sorry for the inconvenience.
6
He stoked this horrible violence and now he has the gall to “pretend comfort” the families of the fallen.
Shame on him. Neither he nor his family has any business going there.
Tomorrow he’ll be demonizing more innocent people, triggering another lunatic.
Terribly, the only thing fake about all of this is his concern.
4
Most intelligent people wouldn't go where they weren't wanted and intrude on the personal tragedies in this close knit
community. But, look who we are talking about.
God bless Squirrel Hill and the Jewish Community.
5
Pipe bombs in the mail aimed at targets Trump has pointed out over and over....murder in a synagogue out of a rage that overflowed about a mad fantasy about Jewish financing a caravan of approaching terrible refugees..another Trump lie
designed to incite... He is yelling fire in a crowded theater and is responsible for the mayhem...Trying to excuse him by saying he didn't send the bombs or pull the trigger just doesn't work
anymore.
5
“I don’t know that the president understands that his words weigh a ton, and when he says some of the things he says..” Ms. Pelosi added.
Excuse me, but our president's words are near worthless due to incessant lying and fact bending.
His arrival in Pittsburgh is simply a photo-op. Trump could care less about the victims, the families and the community.
5
What harm can he do? As long as he doesn't make the widows cry ... or spend six months insulting their escorts ... or forgetting the names of the dead in the middle of a consolation speech ... or make it all about him ... or lie ... or grope women .... or joke about groping women ... or complain that his sons won't e able to grope women ... oh, never mind.
1
Donald, can you ever just not?!
2
Maybe he should have brought some paper towels to toss to the mourners.
A visit does not a healer make.
President Trump's overt anti-Semitism, Racism, and Xenophobia cannot be covered by coming to Pittsburgh with his White House rocks, white roses, and his daughter and son-in-law, whose own duplicity and cowardice only make a "Presidential Visit" more of a mockery.
The 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht approaches. In another time and place, a hateful leader who blamed the Jews as others rose on the winds of fear and blame and hatred that he fanned for his own perverse pleasure and power.
Let the people of Pittsburgh, and their grief and honor, their integrity and Faith, be our guides as to how we can save our nation.
3
The repeated 'caravan' reference pushed forth by the President, emboldened a crazy man named Robert Bowers. The falsehood perpetuated by our President enraged Bowers so much that he took upon himself that he made sure he was 'going in'. Had the lies not been pushed down the crazies' mind, the 11 victims would have been here today.
This isn't conspiracy theory. This is connecting two dots and drawing a line between them. Words matter and this President must stop this at once.
3
Donald Trump simply does not belong in America period. Vote his party out next week and the thug out in 2 years. There is always hope that he will be forced out a lot sooner.
Only by voting out his party and its leader, we can truly Make America Great Again.
Let us turn the tale and the lab.els around on these hatemongers. Tis' about time
2
Count on the democrats to politicize murder. They will stop at nothing.
2
Count on the Republicans to encourage it
2
It's become "traditional" for the president to console after mass killings only because the NRA and its supporters make it so.
2
This president is nothing more than a selfish fool. How can he go to Pittsburgh today when people are burying their loved ones. This is a callous disregard for the grieving process and incredibly hard to understand. I cannot remember a time when people have demonstrated against a president when he has visited a city that has undergone a major traumatic event. I read that the president has a busy schedule, holding campaign rallies and has a lot of travelling to do. But my God has he no sense of decency. He could have waited a week and allowed these poor people to sit Shiva. If he had waited until after the election he would have been able to meet with the families and shown, just once, that he put other people's needs ahead of his own. Shame on him.
2
I find Donald Trump's visit to Squirrel Hil is out of defiance not sympathy. He was told not to come but no one is going to tell Donald Trump anything. Vote.
3
Hatred is learned. No one is born hating or is born a bigot. One learns.
And hate is always, and only, legitimized from the top down: parents, teachers, religious and/or political leaders.
2
“But Mr. Trump has a heavy travel schedule filled with campaign rallies beginning on Wednesday, with at least one political appearance planned each day until Monday, the eve of the midterm congressional elections.”
Of course. Now it all make sense. His schedule was filled with hate rallies so it would have been inconvenient for him to visit at a more appropriate time.
Me, me, me. The man is incapable of showing compassion. And Jared and Ivanka are just enabling stooges and collaborators with this hate-filled president. They are a traitors to the Jewish people.
4
The fact that the Don has a wife doesn't make him less of a sexist, and the fact that his son in law is Jewish doesn't make him less of a white nationalist.
Finally the fact that he is in the Whitehouse doesn't make him worthy of the respect of the position, he has yet to earn it.
2
Trump may be filterless and a specimen of bloviation and a decrepit morality but alas he is a manifestation of our national karma. He could be impeached or resign, or be re-elected, but his mark on the nation, lest I say 'Stain' will be like beet juice or blood. It will never be truly gone for decades.
He's just a reflection of America's deep, inner-ugly.
"It's ALIVE, It's ALIVE."
Its insane how liberals think that their voice is the only one that matters. Imagine these type of protests against Obama????????
3
Where were you when Obama was President? Do you not remember the dreadful Tea Party protests that greeted him from day one on?
2
Dear God, what don't people get?! A couple of weeks ago Donald claimed, proudly to be a "nationalist." The word "nationalist" has been outlawed in Germany, why is that?! Hitler was a proud nationalist. Thousands in the Jewish community asked Donald not to come until he renounced nationalism. He didn't. He also didn't condemn Neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville last year! Those Neo-Nazis aka white nationalists, were chanting "The Jews will not replace us!" That IS.....pure evil.
Donald was asked to wait, but he had to have his photo-op! Deplorable.
7
I don’t believe if you choose to use common sense that he did not have a choice. The community made it clear what they wanted. You adhere to their wishes regardless of what the public thinks. Then when you can visit and sit privately and talk with those who you are giving condolences and not make it “a thing “.
1
Shame on the Jewish people who welcomed The Con Don in the midst of their loss and grief.
One person said, "It's a stand-up thing for him to do" to be there. What? It's EXPECTED that the President of the United States do everything in their power to prevent this kind of thing - not foment hate-anger-fear as he did. If prevention fails it is his JOB to help the country mourn and heal. This is not a television script so The Con Don shows us who he really is.
WE THE PEOPLE - average people across America who value the wonderful lives we have lived since Teddy/FDR/Elanor Roosevelt put Social Safety and environmental protection into place - must not turn the other cheek. WE must not forgive him.
He may, as one democratic woman said, "be doing a lot for Israel" but he's not doing a damn thing for 99.9% of us except trying to destroy everything good and decent about OUR United States of America.
Thanks to all the people who came out in protest to the carnage and lack of humanity The Con Don shows. The article mentions "militant" signs. I did not see any. Did you? It was PEACEFUL. That is what the vast majority of Americans want. A relatively peaceful, socially/economically just society.
The results of the November 6 elections will prove it.
4
The really remarkable thing is that a US president's visit to the scene of a terrible hate crime should generate any controversy at all. If this president had any semblance of moral authority, he could have gone to Pittsburgh, issued a eulogy for the victims, credibly condemned racial/political violence and called for national unity. All of our recent presidents could and would have done that, but it is inconceivable to think of this president in that role.
2
Pure hypocrisy. "We need to unite, not divide" yet then their actions are actions of division, not unification. Trump would have been criticized for coming or not coming by those that disagree with is polices and or his way of messaging.
Food for thought though, Trump did not create this divide, this divide existed already. This hate existed already (has for decades). These incidents are not unique or new.
And as for rhetoric, worse than Trump (who is bad) are the media. Enforcing immigration laws is not xenophobic, yet that is the message one gets from both mainstream and fringe media. The media need to take a good hard look in the mirror if they are concerned about rhetoric. They have been the key escalators.
For example, Trump uses the term nationalism in a way that means taking care of your country first, before you take care of certain global issue. Yet the media (falsely) starts to equate that with White Nationalism (totally different) and dog whistles and such. Some disgraceful articles out there.
3
The Tree of Life Synagogue was having a hard time financially. Three separate synagogues had been consolidated into one. It is expensive to pay for armed guard and was something that the Tree of Life did not have the means to do. In a "perfect" world, it would have made sense from a security stand point, but the reality is that it is not affordable for many institutions. A better solution is gun control.
1
Pennsylvania, of course, not only gives away gun licenses like greeting cards, but also gives gun licenses to residents of other states.
1
Sending my love and condolences to the families and victims of the Pittsburgh shooting. I completely support your decision to risist the presidents visit and protest.
1
The incredible audacity of Trump to show up at this horrible crime scene. The man is missing parts... important parts. But then, we knew that when we voted against him and he lost... But still "won" by an outdated technicality.
Every person of conscience must get out and vote this time around. Yes, the system is rigged for Republicans to win close, even semi-close elections - in the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. And yes, when they achieve a false "majority", they will steal our Courts, too...
So, our votes must be overwhelming.... Our votes must match our passions. The ruling party is unfit to serve. They are masters at riling up the bigots, false Christians, and gun worshipers.... But in the end, they only represent billionaire mass polluters and serial grifters.
If you're not in one of those categories, you're not represented... Get out and VOTE!
3
A sign in the lead in photo to this article says it all: Vote Hate Out.
4
It looks like there were bigger crowds in Pittsburgh protesting Trump than there were at his inauguration.
4
There are a number of opinions about who bears responsibility for the escalating violence in our lives. Should he who occupies the most powerful podium in the world bear it? This passage by Cormac McCarthy in Blood Meridian sums it up for me:
"What did you tell them?
Told them the truth. That you were the person responsible. Not that we have all the details. But they understand that it was you and none other who shaped events along such a calamitous course."
43
The President has been roundly criticized for every move he makes by the main stream media. If he would go too soon to Pittsburgh or if goes too late, if does not go at all, there will be criticism. So many people criticize Trump like they know what is in his heart. He is a TV personality, this makes people think that because the amount of time that they have seen him speaking, they know him as a person. The criticisms by the media of this man because of his party and because the election was an upset that embarrassed so many supposed political commentary careers has been like nothing anyone has ever seen. It started before he was in office. So many politicians feared him because he has money, he has no real political affiliation, he is really beholden to no one. He does not have any skeletons politically. This is why the media and his opponents started to lay the groundwork to resist. Times in this nation have rarely been better, yet his every move it protested. The protesters provide such energy for his base. Because of the relationship that people have with Trump, because of the Apprentice and the 2016 election, people have invested emotionally into the relationship with Trump and when people protest and speak negatively against him, it gets people charged up. Obama got so many first time voters because of who he was. Hillary could not get "those people" to come out and vote for her. The base of Trump is feeding off of this event and others like it. Watch out Democrats
14
@Mark No, wrong. It was made very clear and loudly that he was not wanted there at this time. He could have easily said publicly that he understands his visit would be a distraction and for that reason he was going to wait, as requested. Instead, he ignores these suffering people and goes ahead, likely because he thinks it will help with the midterm elections.
45
@Mark With all due respect, sir, your response is evidence of the sickness of our times. At a moment of profound sorrow, at a moment when even Trump tried to find whatever love and empathy might reside somewhere deep in his tortured soul, you conclude your message with "Watch out Democrats". To paraphrase a famous question, have you not a shred of decency, sir?
Also, you argue that it is impossible for voters to truly know Trump, that our opinion is shaped solely by the media portrayal of him. This is not true. Many, like me, who grew up in the New York metropolitan area has known him personally for a very long time and we know him for what he is-- a despicable fraud.
Peace and love to the Tree of Life congregation and the City of Pittsburgh.
36
@Mark He's criticized because he is a terrible person and worse leader. He stoked the violence that created this with his rhetoric and nonsensical positions. He's a liar and a cheat. Worse than that, he's a racist.
33
"Not everyone in Pittsburgh was opposed to the visit. Even some of those who do not like Mr. Trump at all said he had no good choice, facing criticism if he came and criticism if he did not."
And this is entirely due to his and his administrations words and actions. Has there ever before been an American president who literally can't visit the scene of a tragedy without causing (justified) outrage? All the criticism he faces is completely deserved.
14
It is not a "dotted line" between President Trump's aggressive words targeting immigrants, Jews, Muslims, Latinos, women, gays, trans people and others. It is a direct line. Trump is emboldening and encouraging white supremacists, he is doing it purposefully for political gain, and the most violent among them are sure to act. His every word and deed are designed to divide us, which is dangerous and damaging.
This person had no business being in Pittsburgh yesterday, and he has no business being in the White House, period.
12
The US specializes in mass shootings (hate and/or anti-depressant linked), more than any other other country. Despite these horrific monthly (people expect...) events, it is important to understand that above anything else the 1st Amendment, freedom of speech, including hate speech, is the most important doctrine in the Constitution. Societal hatred is to do with upbringing, education, lying politicians, the media (social), booze/drugs/isolation and a host of other things. At any cost, the peoples' right to have and express these feelings in the digital age, must be upheld. Post-massacre 'love-ins' are necessary and to be encouraged, but not at the cost of freedom of speech. Almost no-one acts on their darkest thoughts - that is the FBI's quandary.
3
There were no world-beaters among the people who perished at the synagogue. They were common, ordinary people leading common, ordinary, quietly successful lives.
They practiced their professions, worried about money, fretted over the problems of their children and followed the fortunes of local sports teams.
Few, if any of them, seems to have been intensely political. Not a single one of them was ever remotely involved with a caravan.
Looking at them, Mr. Bowers -- a man obviously incapable of leading a common, ordinary, successful life -- saw nothing but people who were a dire threat to his survival.
If the people at the synagogue had ever had any contact with Mr. Bowers, they undoubtedly would have tried to help him.
9
I walked yesterday with people who were mourning, not protesting. We sang a Hebrew prayer as we walked and we tore pieces of black paper to symbolically represent tearing our clothes in mourning.
8
Trump knew his visit would be divisive, that's why he did it. It was a photo op and he knew some would be inviting to him while others wouldn't, so he could split them. He stayed 13 minutes.
He never brings people together.
16
Trump is driven by two things: his need to be better than others, and his need to enrich himself and his family. He hates these things: brown and black people, and poor people, because in his simplistic fashion, he considers that they don't try hard enough to be great, the way he is. I don't think Trump cares much for anything else or holds any clear ideological position. Therefore, everything he does and says is dedicated to getting people to vote for him so that he can be the greatest. If he has to be pro-life to satisfy the evangelicals, so be it. If he needs evangelical and Jewish donors, he is pro-Israel. Since he has become president, power has gone to his head, and having learned from his best friend dictators in Saudi Arabia and North Korea, and strongmen in Israel and the Philippines, he truly believes that he can do whatever he wants. He has no interest in the democratic checks and balances that is at the heart of American life. He is a threat to democracy.
9
Excuse me New York Times, but there is no such thing as a "lapsed" Jew. We are secular Jews. I was honestly shocked to read that description here.
"The crowd, which filled the large sanctuary to standing room, was racially diverse, made up of those stooped with age and crying infants, Jewish people — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and lapsed — and non-Jews, Pittsburgh natives and those that had flown in from elsewhere."
5
Trump and family "entered a vestibule to light candles for each of the 11 shooting victims"? Really? I find this utterly insulting, to those who were killed and those who were injured and anyone who has a heart and a brain. Is he accepting blame for what this monster did? When will be? And how dare he move about acting as some lofty statesman who cares. He does not care. And he brought stones from the White House and white roses to the shrine outside? Why? Why bother? Photo-op. That is all. How many minutes until we're seeing photos from the hospital where this intentionally thoughtless and careless buffoon went in search of more photo-ops?
3
This is the third time people in mourning have shunned his presence.
Barbara Bush
John McCain
Pittsburgh
10
This should be obvious.
By demonstrating against Trump you in fact will make him more popular.
Not with the racist.
With people like me who hate him but love what he has done for Israel and do not blame him in any for what happened.
By demonstrating you will get those Republicans who are running for office next week get elected
This is why Democrats lose.
They are so bias they can't see that there are people like me who are neither a Republican or a Democrat and are not bias either for or against what Trump does.
We support him when we feel he is right.
He is right now.
3
You're welcome to have your opinion. We are free to protest, a man who has damaged our nation.
1
@John
Well said, but the NYT and it's followers will never accept blame or think they are wrong. If you read this paper and the comments you can see the left wingers are just talking in a circle amongst themselves...
1
My grandparents came to this country from Russia 100 years ago to escape hatred there. This massacre in Pittsburgh was nothing less than a "pogrom" a word that brought fear to Jews living in Russia many many years ago. I am glad they are not alive now to witness this horrific mass murder in the country which they loved and which brought them peace and the freedom to worship as they wished.
4
After witnessing this, Trump might start acting presidential, finally!
1
It's like having the driver of the getaway car show up to offer his condolences.
7
It's jarring, and discordant to see Donald Trump, a man without a conscience or a soul, lumber around a sacred place of worship, where decent people go to nourish their souls and seek solace and comfort in a sacred place. Then Trump trashes about looking for his photo-op, then on to the next rally, to foment hate, racism, disrespect, chaos and feed his soulless followers. These are dark, sick and strange times. Here's praying this national tragedy ends soon. Please VOTE in November.
5
Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem was a political stunt, accomplished nothing for Israel or the US, and in no way means that President Trump loves Israel or is not anti-semitic or that he is a good person or that he is not the worst president we have ever had.
7
The bully Trump just bullied the whole town of Pittsburgh. His fear of not being seen at the tragedy over came any chance he would not go to a mourning town that asked him to stay away. So Trump bullied his way into the Synagogue of slaughter and showed his impossible contempt for anyone opposing him on anything.
5
@Roger Duronio
The town did not ask him to stay away, a left wing liberal democrat did, huge difference...
1
Ah the media's endless need to create equivalency.
Pittsburg was "split"?
Not the vibes I got from here. Your headline should read that this was the least acknowledged and least welcomed visit to any city by any president in modern history.
In fact, I remember, when Clinton was president, Newt Gringrich's ilk said the presidency had become "irrelevant." I didn't think so then, but if this man has any relevancy, it is only for the chaos and violence he foments. One recent day it seemed to me you had five headlines all beginning with his name. I recommend that you spend your time on more important subjects and stop being his PR machine. I heard on the BBC this morning that large animal species will be extinct in forty years. I'm going to read the Roxanne Gay this morning. Please give Trump one sidebar daily and address the genuine concerns of this planet's ecological distress and lack of international law.
8
So if former President Obama had come to Pittsburgh today, would the NYT have pointed out that he shared a stage within the last month with Louis Farrakan (at Aretha Franklin's memorial service) and criticized Obama's motives and integrity. Of course not.
These types of hit pieces are the primary cause of the divisiveness the NYT claims to be so concerned with, not President Trump.
3
@Red
You are correct Red, but they will never acknowledge any fault of Obama or any democrat, the NYT has no shame...
2
Obama would have respected Pittsburg's request that he wait until after the funerals to visit! Do you get this?! Donald disrespected Pittsburgh when he insisted on going for hi photo-op. Donald is no victim, he is s Bully!
1
Before allowing them to leave Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman summoned Jamal Kashoggi's family to Riyadh to, he said, offer his condolences.
Can you imagine having to politely thank the man who had a hit squad carve your loved one to pieces--and who gave the clumsiest, most implausible denials--for pretending to sympathize with the family of his victim? What horrible political theater. Twisting the knife.
Of course Salman's gesture was not sympathy at all, but a display of power over little people.
That is like what Trump is doing in Pittsburgh. Pretending to sympathize with the families and fellow citizens of his (indirect, but nevertheless) victims. Knowing he is unwelcome and unhelpful but going anyway. Political theater, so that Breitbarters can whine at how uncivil the left is. Twisting the knife.
More power to the people of Pittsburgh for not politely thanking him.
Trump could not keep getting away with this without his enablers. Vote them all out next week.
6
Trump sows discord. He is not welcome in Pittsburgh.
1
There is something beastly about someone who fuels hatred and violence and then pays "condolence visits" when people die from those actions.
3
Leave it to the democrats to politicize murder and grief. They will stop at nothing. They have no shame. They have no sense of basic human decency. After Kavanaugh, this party is capable of anything.
4
No, not the Democrats......Donald! He disrespected Pittsburgh by insisting on visiting when he had been asked to wait! Donald had to have his photo-op! That's IS politicizing grief and death!!
2
Trump, his daughter, son in law etc will readily sacrifice peace, unity, morality and the safety of our country to hang on to office. If that means emboldening and uniting the very worst America has to offer, they will sacrifice human values on the altar of power. This trip to Pittsburgh is a dog whistle to the crazies, not a shiva call.
3
The disparity between information about it is sickening. Some conservative news outlets forgo editorializing and simply don’t document a profound act of domestic* terrorism. Fewer conservatives will know about, and question the antisemitism which occurs in tandem now and in the future.
Fox News’ most recent online headline, “Emergency Physicians Dispatched To Synagogue Attack,” was posted on the 28th. Then nothing.
1
It bothers me that you can tell the difference between his unscripted comments that I think are more authentic and his teleprompter comments that are what he’s told he is supposed to say.
He doesn’t put much energy into trying to deceive us that he’s a Uniter. Just sounds like he’s lying. Of course we can’t read the man’s mind, but he’s always telegraphing the same thing:
“Lemme say what I want, which is that I’m great. And stop making me say this politically correct junk about not accepting white supremacists. I so hate my staff for making me say this junk. They don’t understand how elections are won like I do.”
3
Trump is the root of hate in America. The Republican party and his voters are his enablers.
1
We keep saying "Never Again," and then it happened again. Why? Because all those years we have spent rejecting Nazism, white supremacy, and racism, our self-obsessed, shameless president welcomed them to his fan base.
Sadly, Mr. Trump has burned all his bridges, has no credibility, and instead of abiding by the principle Do no harm," he does nothing but harm whenever, wherever, and to whomever he can.
Trump is a deeply flawed, disturbed man, who cannot feel others' pain, and he knows no shame. Once again, his very appearance managed to make a bad situation more uncomfortable and even worse.
5
Trump can fool some of the people all of the time, but he can't fool all of the people all of the time.
2
There isn't a day that goes by that this president assaults my psyche.
1
He should go to Pittsburgh. But more than the presence, it matters what he says. Impromptu, unfiltered comments reveal instinctive feelings. Mentioning armed guards was his instinctive response. Joking about cancelling his rally because of a bad hair day also reflects his instinct. Nobody forced him to say that, the second comment was even unsolicited. That reveals a lot. In my mind it greatly dilutes it's publicized intent of going. Now, would you let a man at your relative ' s funeral who you know is not serious about what has happened (based on his instinctive comments) and who will, due to his stature but also his nature, grab all the attention at a solemn gathering, and likely be nonchalant about it hours later?
55
Discord should normally be expressed silently and respectfully for the families, but it is clear Trump's personal agenda must be met with equal and opposite resistance.
6
And if he hadn’t gone, people would have protested that too. It’s too bad the Left can’t put aside their hatred for a day.
11
The “Left” (your words) in this case are the majority of the people in Pittsburgh, their mayor and several of the families that had loved ones killed.
So if that’s what you meant by “Left”, yes they are entitled to the own opinion on this serious matter!
Even GOP officials stayed away respectfully.
Not DJT. It’s all about him. It’s only about him.
Even when others die.
DJT makes it his show.
Can’t you see that - for one day? The majority of Americans can.
10
@Jackson: If he had gone a week later as requested, everybody would have understood and there would not have been any protests on the day of services and mourning. But he just could not change his rally schedule and he’s at it spewing hate again. The buck stops with Trump.
6
Even senior members of his own party turned down his invitation to join him in Pittsburgh. They showed respect for the dead and their grieving families. Trump didn't. This isn't about the left's "anger"; it's about a president who divides this country rather than trying to bring people together.
5
"If Mr. Trump’s visit was intended to bring healing, it instead laid bare the nation’s deep divisions." Mr. Trump visits are never intended to bring healing; they are intended to serve what he perceives to be is political interest. Healing is simply not in the president's lexicon.
We know this by now; by giving it press coverage, we are either obtusely putting our heads in the sand or willfully perpetuating the national dyspepsia.
18
“His coming here is not an empathetic move, it’s a power move,” Ms. Suppa said. “It’s the last thing the community needs.”
Ms. Suppa might feel differently if she lived in Tel Aviv, and lived under daily fear and dread of Hamas rocket attacks. In the end, power is what keeps America safe. What's the line from "A Few Good Men"? You can't handle the truth.
5
I doubt those in power in Israel ever say divisive things that cause hamas to interpret they have consent from them, and then call hamas "very good people on the other side" while calling the Israeli press the enemy of the state spreading fake news.
And in "A few good men", the person whose makes the statement "you cannot handle the truth" is in fact the one who gave the code red without actually killing anybody. Your analogy is actually perfect for the situation, just not how you intended it.
1
@c smith - This is not Tel Aviv. This is an attack by a antisemitic hater on people in America who saw their calling as helping others.
Trump is telling these people they should live in fear. Arm up. Private armies. Fear on fear.
1
America is safe? For whom? Clearly not for the Eleven at the Tree of Life Temple! It was a domestic terrorist who massacred the Jews in their Temple! The domestic terrorist, emboldened by Trump's hateful rhetoric and his claiming last week to be a "nationalist"!
3
OK, let's see: Trump's publicity stunt was discouraged by every public official consulted, even some who have supported him blindly in the past (McConnell, I'm looking at you). Thousands of Pittsburghers both famed and obscure, of all faiths, races and ages, came out in the streets to repudiate his callous, self-serving behavior.
But 40 people signed a letter defending and welcoming him. Therefore, according to your headline, Pittsburgh "Splits over Trump's Visit". This is not a split, it is a splinter, and a microscopic one at that.
The Times needs to stop indulging in bothsiderism. Go read your own columnist, Paul Krugman, and recognize the damage you are doing with headlines such as this one.
24
@Cheryl Kay Thank you! "This is not a split, it is a splinter" GREAT line!
4
Amen!
1
It is possible that Pittsburgh was not “split” or “divided” over the president’s visit but instead its people practiced the nearly forgotten art of disagreeing.
13
It didn’t split over Trumps visit. Almost no one wanted him there.
16
It seems like more was caused by people whom it didn’t affect.
@Bill smith
It wouldn’t matter if it was Bush, Bush, McCain, Reagan, Dole, etc. The liberals would be protesting. It’s just what they do.
2
There are those that aim to divide a community,while it suffers and is greiving their loss. Its painful to see.
4
If the president had an ounce of moral credibility, as representative of the highest and most dignified representative of the US government, I predict he would have been welcomed to Pittsburgh.
But his moral depravity made him and his Office unwelcome. His visit was even repudiated by the State's senior Republicans.
Get this dolt out of office! His consistent provocative statements and actions only give inspiration to to the most depraved elements of US society.
16
POTUS and his Kakistocracy have no souls... I voted with my absentee ballot. VOTE as if this means everything for our beloved nation!
11
They are hardly united in grief if it can't accept the President's offer of sympathy to the family and Jewish community.
4
I will say this slowly so you will understand.....he...was...asked...to wait...and...not...come...until...after ....the....burials. He disrespected Pittsburgh by forcing himself on them, for his photo-op. The man lacks compassion!
2
Hate and guns, some have too much of both. A poem from the Blue Collar Review seems appropriate :
Irregular Pulse Beat Sonnet
To every politician taking donations from the NRA, shame on you.
-- Emma Gonzales, Marjory Stoneman Douglas student
The relentless drone of the daily news,
sends the pulse racing as homes that swelled
with laughter weep now from joists and beams,
sun washed rooms dark behind drawn curtains.
In days of the dead, the gunman cackled
loading, reloading, riveting bodies
already downed, bullet after bullet.
Bodies halted on the nightclub dance floor,
layered into each other under desks,
eyes locked on a fuzzed movie screen,
small hands frozen counting butterflies,
bodies halted at prayer with those of us
who remain alive and breathe. Hearts aching,
our own bodies pulse
and pulse
and breathe.
-- Andrena Zawinski
4
I really wonder what Mr Trump says to the victims families when he visit from one mass shooting to another? When the wheat is separated from the chaff there are really just two alternatives.
"Terribly sorry for your loss but is it the prize you have to pay for keeping the Second Amendment and easy access to semi-automatic weapons?"
Or
"Trust me I have this master plan where we will pay for protection of 3500 Synagogues, 100.000 public schools, 400.000 Christian Churches plus other potential mass shooting targets with heavily armed trained guards capable of taking down any attacker?"
Sadly I struggle to imagine a third
5
One still has to wonder what Trump's reaction would have been if this shooting took place in a mosque? What if a mass shooting took place at one of the immigrant detainee camps?
11
He would have been no where in sight and we’d still be waiting for a sympathetic tweet.
4
@Ellwood Nonnemacher
Please, no suggestions for the next location for right wing terrorist attacks.
@Ellwood Nonnemacher
There was a massacre in a mosque in Canada by an avid Trump supporter. He completely ignored the massacre but focused on an attempted stabbing in Paris by a person of Middle Eastern origin instead. Notice this evil shooter who is not insane but violently hateful and a follower of White Supremacist ideology has not been called a terrorist.
1
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers just caved to the man who is arguably responsible for this atrocity. Its like he just threw his entire religion under the bus to appease Trump.
10
@Mike: Rabbi Myers just protected his congregation from future attacks by rabid anti-Semites enabled by Trump’s incendiary words. He took the high road.
Or maybe he was simply displaying strength of character and focus.... nah, that's not going to work with the Democrat playbook.
How utterly pathetic.
Trump needs his response "shaped" by Jared and Ivanka....
He is so utterly devoid of even a spark of humanity or decency that he, the alleged "leader" of this Nation can't figure out what to say, and more importantly, HOW to say it.
Clearly, if the spotlight isn't on HIM, and singing HIS praises, it is not worth any true input from this shallow, vain man.
19
About the Trumps at the Tree of Life synagogue memorial -
It is so difficult to give Trump the respect a President is due.
No matter their political party.
But the problem is, Trump wasn't there with even an ounce of respect for the shooting victims. He came because they told him not to.
Trump came to look politically strong (in his eyes only), to take advantage of the opportunity.
I can't help but feel the stones from the White House dirtied the memorial. They were not placed with any empathy or good will.
I long for the day when I can again respect the Oval Office, but I fear it is very far off.
Vote Democratic on November 6th.
Every seat, every office.
Changing Majorities in Congress is our best course of action.
Vote.
23
I so respect the people of Pittsburgh not wanting the visit from Donald Trump. I wouldn't want him in my city either. And, so far, we haven't had a hate-fueled tragedy. My condolences to the people of Pittsburgh.
19
If in this Trump showed any sign of contrition, any self awareness, any of the reflection on one's own life that would be part of the religious observances than I would have said his presence was well intentioned and even the right thing to do. But none of that was visible in him, his press secretary, or supporters who all hold him above it all despite his words.
Trump's needing to there reminds me of the arsonist who sets a blaze going and then shows up as a hero to save the victims of the fire.
16
It always has to be about Trump. By having his daughter and son-in-law in tow, he revealed the cynicism behind the visit. As knowing a couple of Jewish people absolves him of his racism. I suspect any thinking individual will see through the poorly orchestrated facade.
14
If Mr. Trump were a vaguely loving, empathetic creature, his visit would make sense. But he is not. He is a street fighter, without a soul. In a time of profound pain, he makes it worse.
11
Thus story implies as many Pittsburgh residents wanted Trump to come as opposed him. It cites a letter signed by 40 saying he could come. It ignores the one signed by tens of thousands begging him to stay away.
With the exception of a handful of his followers, all sentient people know Trump’s hateful, ugly, racist and nativist rhetoric has led to not only the largest massacre of Jews in US history but the biggest political assassination attempt against 12 Americans, including 2 ex-presidents.
27
Watching Trump deplane and then make a show of honoring the grave sites gave me the distinct feeling he was in zombie mode and couldn't wait to get the heck out of Pittsburgh and back to his comfort zone of egging on political violence.
14
This is terrible all the way around. I hate that these things have happened but I don't blame the President. It doesn't matter what Trump does, liberals hate him. How does that hate cancel out what hate there is on the extreme right? It doesn't.
5
@Alex
Protesting hate (Trump) is not hate.
2
He was welcomed by the rabbi but not the Democrats who chose, like the media, to politicize this tragedy. Shame on the protestors.
6
It only divides us because some can't put a line between politics and being human. He has rejected those that believe in violence, and his daughter is Jewish as is his son in law. How can anybody think he supports say Nazis? Just arrogantly biased.
3
Does he support Nazis? Honestly, not sure. Is he terrified of losing the support of Nazis? Definitely. Ponder that
1
So glad Mayor Peduto and most other leaders declined to participate in Trump's photo op, aimed at showing him pretending to act presidential for cynical political purposes. Ivanka and Jared came for that reason. Showing their stupidity, Trump supporters “who think Trump can’t be anti-Semitic because he has a Jewish daughter don’t believe he can be sexist because he has a wife and can’t be anti-immigrant because his wife is an immigrant”, as noted by Pittsburgher Yonah Lieberman of IfNotNow.
18
We all know it. Trump has blood on his hands. If there is justice in this world he must end his life in jail!
15
If President Trump did not attend there would have been complaints similar to the ones here - it's another example of the Democrat liberals not allowing anyone accept a gesture from the president. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
7
Trump go away, for good and forever.
3
The country has a chance to humiliate him for a change on Tuesday - please vote.
32
Congrats to Pittsburgh for standing up to hate and its messenger, Trump!
24
He even manages to divide that community in the midst of that tragedy, What more needs to be said about him.
26
Until three months ago, I lived within two blocks of Tree of Life. My old bus stop across the street from it is now wrapped up in yellow police tape and surrounded by operations tents. We only moved a mile. This hit so very close to home. It was horrific and unreal to see such a familiar spot defiled by violence.
The last thing we need here right now is this loudmothed buffoon who's currently in single-minded campaign mode spewing partisan bluster that this city doesn't want or need right now. I don't believe he's capable of offering sincere words of condolence, or words of condolence at all if he's not made to read from a teleprompter.
22
Ms Tova Weinberg a Trump supporter said, "We love what he's doing for Israel... and the economy." that says it all with regards to Trump supporters.... greed and religious "nationalism". To them, both outweigh love, compassion, unity, human rights. The road to ruin: greed and religious nationalism.
39
Make no mistake- no matter what “Javanka” advised —Trump would not have come to PA were it not a hotly contested battle ground state.
Here in predictably red central PA the tea leaves look to me pretty blue.
The fringy right wing nationalists out here are loud and full of bombast and bluster but I see far more middle of the road citizens politely holding their tongues while seething with rage and ready to vote with a vengeance.
14
@JAS from your lips to god’s ears!
Donald Trump is a flamethrower with a poor magician’s slight of hand. In the minds of his base, he wins when he “sticks’ it to a “liberal”, “Dem” or “leftist”, no matter the setting. There is no logic to their response, just reflexive disdain, disapproval and hate. This is not about their economic plight (lots of people have suffered economic hardships in the last 10 years but did not turn to embrace combat to make themselves feel better). This is about development failures: the failure to learn basic civics and history and their failure to develop healthy psyches and tools that permit appreciation and consideration for others. DT wins every time there’s a “rumble” and the base can cheer from the sidelines. I’ve never been so sad to be in this country.
As matter of simple respect, If the families are saying wait, the community and religious leaders in the community are saying wait and let us have our traditions and rituals and bury and honor our dead and the public safety officials are saying wait you’re taxing our resources--then what precisely was the reason for this visit?
The remainder of his tenure will just be more of the same. Because of the position he’s in can ignite new issues every day (look at the announcement on birthright citizenship and troop deployments today). Responsible leaders would not do or allow this—but then there’s Donald Trump and his adherents. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.
12
trump should have stayed home. The protesters are right to demand that, until trump rejects White Nationalism. He can parade his Jewish relatives all he wants, he can support Israel, but trump wants adulation more than he wants religious freedom, more than he wants any freedom for any group.
trump’s reign must end. We must return to true American ideals and believe in all who want to live here in peace.
19
It's OK for trump to visit Pittsburgh. Too bad it's a few days too late.
@Stevenz Hoping for assassination are we? That's a great direction to take the discourse!
3
Tell us how it feels to be put on a watch list.
Ivanka and Jared are the antithesis of Judaism. And the rabbi of the tree of life congregation, who welcomed them and trump, should be fired by the congregations board of directors.
7
@Howard64: None of us have any standing whatsoever to criticize the rabbi for his words. He took the high road and thought of the future safety of his congregation first. He should be commended for that.
6
Wait for the whining to begin this morning, as the “true” victim of this massacre wakes up and starts to tweet about how abused and misunderstood he is. Wait for Sarah Sanders to castigate the press for not seeing the love and unifying presence her boss so courageously displayed in the midst of a hostile city. Wait for Kellyanne Conway to rail against the inhumanity directed at the man she equates with God. Wait for the goons on Fox and Friends this morning to tsk tsk about the disrespect the city of Pittsburgh showed the president, when he has done nothing but sow unity, peace and harmony. While more will be buried today and families whose lives have been changed forever struggle to deal with their pain, the most inhuman and soulless man to ever walk this earth will not wait to get up and remind us all once again of just how truly awful he is.
16
I am Jewish and although I do not live in Pittsburgh I am ashamed by the behaviour of those there who protested against Mr. Trump's visit.
Mr. Trump is tone deaf, egocentric, in all likelihood a textbook-case narcissist. A classic example of someone who does not hear himself and gives little, if any, thought to how his words reverberate.
Having said that, I believe he did the right thing by going to Pittsburgh and paying his respects to those who perished at the hands of a clinically insane individual with weapons.
Mr. Trump is a complex figure, but media have reduced him to a one-dimensional caricature. This is wrong and needs to be addressed.
During the debates, Hillary Clinton, asked to identify one positive trait in Mr. Trump, said he was a good family man. That was high praise in my opinion, and by all accounts, it is true that Mr. Trump is a devoted father and grandfather. In February 2017, a reporter from a Jewish newspaper told Mr. Trump at a news conference that “despite what some my colleagues have been reporting, I have not seen anyone in my community accuse either yourself or anyone of your staff of being anti-Semitic.” He added: “We understand that you have Jewish grandchildren, you are their zayde.”
Refer to YouTube to see the look on Mr. Trump's face when he heard the word "zayde."
I'd like to learn more about this side of Mr. Trump -- the side of him that is not only tolerant, but which embraces people of other colors, creeds and religions.
13
@Frank Haydn,
He’s not a family man. He spends absolutely no time with his grandchildren. When not stomping on the campaign trail, he spends his weekends playing golf.
Don’t kid yourself.
5
He doesn’t have a side of tolerance or we would have all seen it by now.
5
@Letty Roerig
Madam: neither you nor I have access to Mr. Trump's personal schedule.
There’s a simple, obvious fact about this act and the other recent attacks. It is cowardice. Somehow, in the discussion of these atrocities, we skip past that point. If I sneak up on an old lady in the supermarket and hit her - with anything - I am a coward. It has 2 parts: the easy, one-sided element of surprise, and a weapon that makes the interchange so one-sided. If we called these folks cowards publicly in every such event, they might be less attracted to this activity.
3
Your lead in that the Pittsburgh community was divided was wrong on its Math. 40 Orthodox Jews and Trump sympathizers against thousands of people disagreeing is not exactly a divided community. The percentages do not agree with your title.
11
Tova Weinberg can love trump all he wants. When his little tax cut runs out next year for the poor and middle class then taxes go up for all but corporations and the rich...Weinberg will see how "great" the economy is. The stock market is just like the trump administration "in total chaos"....Supporting Israel is not enough.
17
Trump met with four officers who were injured yet he predicted that if the synagogue had security these people would be alive. Yet those officers were wearing flak jackets and helmets and had heavy duty weapons but were still shot. Did that every cross his mind?
16
Nothing crosses his mind. He speaks spontaneously without giving any thought or reason. That’s how our country got into this mess to begin with. He lacks common sense and feeling.
12
@M.Z. Trump easily forgets this:
"At about 12:50 p.m. on June 10, 2009, 88-year-old white supremacist James Wenneker von Brunn entered the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. with a rifle and fatally shot Museum Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns. Other security guards returned fire, wounding von Brunn, who was apprehended."
The first person who would be shot is the security officer.
1
With friends like this, who needs enemies?
2
He could have shown respect and stayed away.
6
I do think Pittsburgh should unite against Trump as well. He is not interested in what happened, or how much of a role he played in the violence which his speech incites. But I am very proud to see that the place I lived in and loved for years took a stand against the bigotry and disruption which follows Trump's wake wherever he goes. Now Kanye West wakes up and realizes that he has "been used" thanks to the disgusting Blexit scheme cooked up by another Trump supporter. When will the majority of his minions wake up! Now the latest attempt at smearing a person who is reputable...Robert Mueller. These are the kind of people Trump has brought out of the closet. The ones beside the dishonest people such as the Interior Secretary who it seems faces allegations after allegations, since the vast majority do not it is another failed appointment. And finally, what was the other news of the day...Trump's con game of "keeping any illegals, etc., who are foreign by parentage but born in the US from automatic citizenship." Lying and acting like he has been told he can use a Presidential act to achieve this...pandering to the lower educated who support him once again just before the election. The way this President achieves, lies and timing.
8
I hold my head in shame.
The President of the United States is expected to comfort people at a time of nation tragedy. Period.
The pseudo-urgency of anything but Trump, has diminished our sense of decency.
10
For those who excuse Trump's vile rhetoric about refugees and immigrants because he supports Israel, realize that you have put an exact price on the life of each victim at Tree of Life - take the construction cost of that new Jersualem embassy and divide by 11.
14
Trump was not welcome (or wanted) at the funerals of Mrs. Bush and Senator McCain--and didn't go. He was not welcome (or wanted) in Pittsburgh, yet he still went there at this most solemn time. For him, it's a photo op for his ego. He doesn't care about the victims, their families or anyone else. He's too selfish.
12
I truly don't understand why people continue to defend this president. He is a thin-skinned con man that dishes it out but can't take even the slightest bit of criticism without pledging revenge. Other presidents -- Republicans and Democrats --have dealt with IMMENSE criticism and yet they didn't turn to their friends the white supremacist or to hate speech or to division. Why does he always need coddling?
14
Glad to see that he timed this so nicely to fit into his hate mongering rally schedule. We wouldn't want any of those folks to be inconvenienced. What does it matter if a few morners are made to feel worse by his presence.
13
When, if ever, will this nightmare end?
7
Let's face it. Trump is only going because he was told not to.
As cover he is bringing his wife, daughter and son-in-law. He is hoping they will serve to soften the reactions he might receive, or else serve as human shields.
He is also creating distractions for other events being in held in Pittsburgh including funerals, because in TrumpWorld, Donald comes first.
6
Malignant narcissists are not capable of empathy. Trump makes that clear in his public statements.
13
Donald Trump knew the community was divided about his visit. He chose to go there, heightening the division. I truly believe that any President before him, R or D, would have chosen not to pick at the wounds, would have made an uplifting speech to the nation, and would have stayed home.
7
And he would have also sounded sincere in his denouncing these domestic terrorist attacks. He’s never sounded sincere while supposedly denouncing any of them. It has continued since Charlottesville, and has gotten worse.
1
These murders occurred because of HIS WORDS, words that he has used since the campaign. He is not a president. He continues to work to divide us. His plane should not be allowed to land in Pittsburgh.
233
@acm Please quote some of HIS WORDS which link him to this hate crime. What truly continues to divide us are people who incorrectly believe he not a president. Just because he wasn’t your choice doesn’t give you a right to be divisive and say things which are exaggerations such as imply that he causeed this hate crime. Please on behalf of all Americans become part of the solution by staying calm. Thank you.
6
@acm Nonsense. No more than we blame the various police attack ambushes under Obama from Obama's critical words towards police and racist police policies.
There are isolated violent disturbed folks out there that will end up doing their violent things no matter who says what.
1
@Mel
"Please quote some of HIS WORDS which link him to this hate crime." Answer: "invasion."
"Just because he wasn’t your choice doesn’t give you a right to be divisive and say things which are exaggerations such as imply that he causeed this hate crime." Answer: No. Actually, evidence and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives @acm that right.
5
You quote one Trump supporter as saying,“How dare they blame Trump for this....We love what he’s doing for Israel, we love what he’s doing for the economy. I’m just crazy about him.” This amounts to: We are glad the US under Trump is facilitating the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land, and if some Jews in America have to die as a result of the rhetoric Trump uses to win elections so be it.
18
Even Trump’s supporters can’t keep from using the words “Trump” and “crazy” in the same sentence.
1
Just days ago, innocent Jews shot to death in Pittsburgh. Innocent Blacks shot to death in a Kentucky market. Pipe bombs sent to Donald Trump's "Enemy List."
This president brings neither reason nor debate to his rallies and his tweets. He appeals to an anger deep in the belly of those who need to blame refugees and immigrants, Mexicans, Muslims, Black and Brown people - all who are part of what this country is becoming - a multicultural society. The 20th century has passed and with it the governing White society.
Donald Trump's 'base' is pushing back. They want the Eisenhower era. They want back what will not be back. Neither the column mines nor the 'fifties.
But, he's there every step of the way confirming their failures, their sad inadequacies, their bad marriages, bad jobs and dead- end realities in the 'here and now' as not 'their own doing, but the doing to them by the 'Others."
The mid-term election is not about what we think we 'have' or hope to have or might have through presidential promises of more chickens in the pot. It is not about 'doing others in.' It about the Constitutional Right of everyone to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is the base of our democracy.
If we do not overwhelm 'the Trump base' with a voice stronger and far more powerful we give the best in us - our Constitutional Rights - to the few only to the few. And that is wrong.
Time is now. We need to "Just Do It." Vote for what is right.
12
@miriam sum
Well expressed and well written comment
1
You make it seem as though mass shooting and similar henious crimes have only occured since the current president was sworn in. Where was Obama on the follow up to numerous shootings under his administration? Or earlier presidents?
@Margo Isn't weird how hate crimes just skyrocketed after 2016? I can't explain it, doubt anyone can. Guess we'll just have to ponder it while doing nothing
Yesterday, watching streaming of the Pittsburg protest march, I was moved to tears. Trump is present in our daily news, from all sources, spewing his anger, racism and illogical thinking, making it easy to lose sight of the good in our country. The protest marchers were good people wanting peace to return to their lives by stopping the violent rhetoric, building bridges between all of us and caring for each other of all faiths, races and orientations. Sad as it was, I was encouraged by the protest marchers.
11
With the accompanying photos showing only signs advocating love and against hate, I cannot understand why the article describes “demonstrators carrying militant signs”. The article goes on to describe a completely peaceful protest. Words matter, and the word “militant” implies violence. In an age where our leadership is quick to denigrate it’s opponents as a mob, I urge you to be more precise.
17
The visit by the occupant and his small entourage was nothing more than a photo-op ahead of the midterms, and it diverted resources away from where they were most needed, accompanying funeral processions, to the occupant's multi car caravan. Shame on him for using this occasion to do some last minute campaigning.
6
Trump owes it to Putin to create chaos. Nothing hurts Putin more than world order created by the US after WWII.
Time and again it is the GOP that is complicit in leaving Trump unchecked, this is th real shock and awe.
3
Trump is so possessed with self He just cannot understand that his hate speech has deadly consequences. Sure he was accompanied on his Pittsburg by Jared Kushner and ivanaka , but that couple lives in an absolute bubble from real world problems. In essence, tragedies do not touch Trump world; they only care about winning.
5
It is a shame that America cannot come together and mourn the dead in a bi-partisan way after the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who was in the sanctuary leading a service for the Tree of Life congregation during the shootings, welcomed Trump, and it is 'his' congregation.
How can commenters who oppose Trump speak for the entire city of Pittsburgh when they say that no one wants Trump to visit? So self appointed spokespeople speak for everyone? The last time that I heard, PA voted narrowly for Trump. According to a previous NYT piece, 25% of the Jewish community voted for Trump in 2016, including some Congregants quoted in this piece. These protesters do not speak for these people.
What if Obama had been protested after such a tragedy that happens much too often? What if the residents of Fort Hood, Chattanooga, Santa Barbara, Orlando or Boston etc had protested him after these tragedies, tragedies which were all inspired by ISIS jihad?
Republicans did not unravel during 8 years of the Obama adm as Democrats are doing now under the Trump adm.
Trump has been a staunch supporter of Israel and was courageous to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal capitol of Israel, under heavy criticism of many Democrats.
Trump is not the cause of the divide, but just a symptom.
2
I'm curious about something. The headline proclaims that Pittsburgh "split" over Trump, but the overwhelming sense from the article is that a sizable majority opposed his visit. Which is it? This headline feels like an effort by the Times to try and establish a false sense of "balance" when the facts in the article suggest that the city---with the exception of a few---did not want Trump befouling their time of grieving.
6
All I can say is that immediately following this horrific massacre, Trump attended a rally in North Carolina I believe,and the song "Happy" was played......This is no coincidence. The man is totally obsessed with himself, and he had no right to be in Pittsburgh, when specifically asked no to come. A disgrace to the office of the President and our great country...
6
I resent when Trump makes visits like this. As the leader of division politics, it’s inappropriate for for such a damaged person to have this large soapbox. His words in Pittsburgh have been contradicted by his ongoing rallies, where he spews discontent, hate, racism and yes, violence. We couldn’t ask for a worse healer for the nation.
4
I just remember how I felt when I saw President Obama speak at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. I cried and still do to this day when I watch his speech. Now I want to cry every time I think of how far my country has fallen under the current administration.
6
Sending our love and support from Indiana.
1
I have lived in Mexico 14 years. People in USA ask is it safe to travel to MX- that is crazy. USA is the most dangerous country in the world.
5
Apparently, It wasn't enough for Trump to light the match the resulted in the slaughter of these 11 Jews, or to attempt to lay the blame for their deaths on the Synagogue. He has chosen to disrespect the wishes of those whose loved ones have just been murdered, and to increase increase the anguish of those who have not yet buried their dead, and that of the entire community.
While Trump has stopped to unprecedented, un-Presidential low levels, crashing funerals is a new low, even for him.
6
Donald Trump isn't an anti-Semite in the usual sense. He has surrounded himself with Jewish advisers like Roy Cohn and Michael Cohen, his daughter converted to Judaism and married a Jewish man, etc. Trump does not dislike Jews. He is an anti-Semite in that white supremacists are a crucial part of his base and he is willing to do things, such as call the demonstrators in Charlottesville who chanted traditional anti-Semitic slurs "very fine people," a clear signal to his anti-Semite supporters. He balances this with his wildly pro-Israel policy to please some of his big Jewish donors, which the US anti-Semites don't care about. His policy on abortion is simple. He has been pro-choice all his life and changed to pro-life to win over the Evangelicals who have shamefully ignored his horrific comments and behavior because stopping abortion is the only issue they seem to care about. The one area which is for real is his denigration of people of color. Their is ample evidence of his racism long before he even considered running for the presidency. For the most part his promotion of hatred of various minorities is strategic, which makes it even more repulsive and cynical. I don't think he even hates the media. He mainly attacks the top media outlets to deflect from his actions and statements and to throw some raw meat to his cult-like supporters, who either buy his endless lies or don't care. Trump is playing a very, very dangerous game and it is finally catching up with him, I hope.
333
@Tom Barrett Great analysis. How many times have I heard "I don't agree with everything he says, but I support him because", and the "because" turns out to be the one "hot button" issue that they care most about. So even if he says and does numerous things that have a negative impact on that person's life, they simply focus on that one "hot button" issue that motivates them the most. In short, he understands single issue people and manipulates them.
17
@Dan Very true. I know many so-called hillbilly type people and the like who only voted for trump because they have this wild and crazy idea that a democratic president like Hillary Clinton only wanted to take away all their guns and ban every gun. The posted meme after meme on Facebook with messages that a person never said or something said and taken out of context. You couldn’t convince them that they were wrong about it. They cared about nothing else but their guns. Not a single thing trump said or did or policy on anything else mattered. I now understand why our forefathers wanted only certain people to have a right to vote, because the common ignorant person does not have the education or understanding of government to vote for a candidate as a whole.
7
@Tom Barrett
But Trump is surrounded by plenty of neo-nazis: advisors, FOX news personnel, and possibly Don jr.. His ex-wife claimed that he kept a copy of "Mein Kampf" at his bedside at all times. Frankly, I don't think it's a stretch - I think he could easily be an anti-Semite himself, even though his daughter did convert to Judaism. He has given the green light to neo-nazis since the beginning of his term, and did not tone down his rhetoric after the tragedy last weekend. He may not hate the media, but he is a racist. He has said he likes to hire Jewish lawyers and accountants, but that hardly exonerates him.
6
Supporting a nationalist President for the “work” he’s doing to help Israel? What irony. For more on this, you can probably google “We sold our souls to the devil to benefit another country.”
The Jewish leaders who put a foreign country first over Pittsburgh and the safety of the faithful in our country have some soul searching to do.
I’m proud of my extensive Irish heritage, and would do just about anything to protect my ancestrall homeland. Alas, I would never put it above my Country’s safety or before the protection of my fellow Americans.
11
The 501st commandment of the Torah is "Not to insult or harm anybody with words" (Leviticus 25:17).
7
This president, sitting shiveh with the mourning? Does anyone believe he can do that?
4
If Trump is so bothered by this terrible episode - yet another one on his watch- why doesn't he do something about gun control? He could have skipped the unwanted, self-serving, insincere visit and suggested something other than having armed guards and, yes, more guns everywhere. What an awful man.
10
Since Congressional leaders declined his invitation 45 trots out Jared and Ivanka (at any cost there's election points to earn). Tomorrow, today's photo op will be a thing of the past, and the usual hate filled rally cries will begin anew.
8
I was expecting him to leave and go somewhere close for a scheduled rally.
1
The hate of many liberals is on full display here. Trump is the President. It is his right and his duty to visit Pittsburgh. Had he not I have no doubt these very same "open minded and compassionate" liberals would be criticizing him all the same for not going.
2
@Rob HIS rhetoric fueled this crime. He could apologize first. Denounce his "nationalism" second. Then, perhaps, a visit.
5
He will no doubt be making substantial contributions to the temple and the medical center since we know he puts his money where his mouth is.
2
When 11 people are massacred because they believe in helping immigrants resettle here, it is absolutely beyond shocking that the very man fomenting fear and hatred of immigrants calling then "invaders" rather than asylum seekers and threatening our very Constitutional "rule of law" by announcing his plan to revoke "birthright citizenship" just as he arrives in Pittsburgh can be taken seriously as a healer and uniter. Trump's toxicity is beyond reproach; it is reprehensible bordering on evil.
5
The mayor and various other dignitaries asked the president to wait a week and visit Pittsburg at a more opportune time. They said it would be disruptive to pay his respects this week while the families and community were holding multiple funerals for the victims of this horrific assault.
Most people with a modicum of empathy would have waited a week as they were requested. What more can I say?
6
Knowing the way he “works,” he never listens to common sense from anyone, because as he’s proclaimed “he’s a smart man.” Then he apparently believes every state is a “red” state, and that he’s welcome everywhere. But IMO, most of all, his “visit” was scheduled around another rally somewhere. He doesn’t care what the people of Squirrel Hill requested, and he certainly doesn’t care how they feel. He is void of any iota of empathy, compassion, or sympathy. He’s self-centered and cold-hearted. Anytime I see his reaction to any disaster, all I visualize is him throwing rolls of paper towels to the people of Puerto Rico. It sickens me.
2
Mr.Trump has no sensitivity.In the hours after the shooting Mr.Trump decried the act but immediately opined that it might not have happened if there had been an armed guard at the Temple.He Immediately parroted the NRA line about arming everyone instead of simply sympathizing with grieving people.Everyone was heartbroken that this terrible act happened and understandably the people of Squirrel Hill wanted to comfort each other away from the bright lights of a presidential visit.Mr.Trump should not have visited, bringing along the Israeli ambassador to the United States.The people of Squirrel Hill have made plain their devotion to love and inclusion.Mr.Trump was out of place in this kind, tolerant place.
5
Instead of 45 being sincere when he learned of this horror, he proceeded to “suggest” his solution of putting armed guards in a place of worship. I seriously don’t believe that’s what God had in mind for people to feel safe inside. 45 showed absolutely no sympathy towards Squirrel Hill, just as he has with every terrorist attack since day one of his so-called “presidency.” All he did was immediately revert back to the so-called “caravan” ready to come through the border, and how he wants to send the military to guard our borders. Sound familiar?
2
My heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of these latest victims of the president's hateful rhetoric. Thank you to those who took the time from their communal grieving to protest trump's visit and thank you to the NYT for not showing photos of trump and his family and w only a mere mention of his visit.
3
It’s unbelievable to read the disgust the hatred the name calling of our president. Why does anyone think he doesn’t feel for the community or the families of the dead? Why shouldn’t he have gone with his family to see the sorrow, and share in Pittsburgh’s pain. Aren’t we enlightened when we experience another’s sorrow or devastation? Doesn’t it give us all a different perspective on thoughts and beliefs? The comments that lash out at the president for visiting the Tree of Life synagogue are in themselves evil. Hate begets more hate. Stop worrying about the president’s visit and reach out to another in pain, look around and stop the hatred where it begins, in ones heart.
2
The town of Squirrel Hill and city of Pittsburgh requested him to wait. The couple of weeks is meant for families and friends to mourn. He, as always, disregarded and disrespected their request for privacy, and showed up. He literally crashed their mourning. They are burying their loved ones. They should have been shown the respect they so deserved.
3
I’m sorry, but what’s wrong in saying:
President Trump has a right to go to Pittsburgh and it was right of him to go;
That the left should not use this incident to galvanize their voters and spew hatred at the president and his family;
That this was the act of a madman, and no one but he is to blame;
That this might not have been so deadly if the Tree of Life Synagogue had an armed guard at the door - many Synagogues in New York have them, including the three I attend;
That this country indeed needs more gun control, including elimination of semi-automatic assault rifles;
That the amount of hate in this country is astounding and nothing I’ve seen since the 1960s - imagine how bad it would be if we had a bad economy with tens of millions unemployed or a draft for fighting an unjust war.
3
I am so very sorry for the loss of such innocent lives and
I pray for your broken hearts.
This should never have happened. Please remember this is not who we, the majority, your neighbors are. We do not live with hatred in our hearts.
I hang on to the hope that this mans reign of inciting such violence in acts and deeds, to include those that follow blindly and with deafening silence will end soon.
11 innocent people dead and DJT makes it all about himself and his family.
The gracious and honorable mayor asked on three different occasions (that I know of) for DJT to not come to Pittsburgh.
As usual DJT ignored the will of the people and walked over common decency- and went to the Steel City while they were in mourning.
This simple act tells everyone all you need to know about the lack of judgement and ignorance of DJT and his family.
Good bless the fallen in Pittsburgh!
If you want to honor their memory- VOTE!
There are more good people in this world than bad it’s just that DJT does not know it because he is part of the minority.
VOTE 11/6!
3
CIA officers had to endure Trump's rambling campaign-style speech in front of the hallowed Wall of Stars, which
commemorates the 117 CIA employees killed in the line of duty. Trump used it as a backdrop to crow about his inaugural crowd sizes and how many times he had been on Time's cover. John Brennan called Trump's performance a "despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of Heroes".
Perhaps the families of this week's dead, the Tree of Life, the city of Pittsburgh, and the nation will be spared such venality.
3
Trust Trump to do the totally inappropriate thing. Visiting people while they bury their loved ones is bad enough; however, given that his rhetoric instigates these horrors he should have stayed away. Nobody wants Trump at personal events.
2
djt's visit to Pittsburg and the Temple is only about inserting himself into the event, so he is at center stage. He worked to make himself the story today.
His visit was not to express grief or concern over the massacre at the temple. He outed his true colors of white supremacy with Charlottesville, and his rhetoric continues to ignite the insecure male subset who have gun collections to act-out on his behalf.
Today he closes the abhorrent cycle of violence he constructed by visiting the site. This is how he portrays himself as a leader.
2
This is a sad moment for our country. What is more sad is to see eleven members of the Synagogue congregation falling prey to this tragedy.
This is clearly a result of hate. Our political leaders have a responsibility to tell us why this is happening, and what is it they will do to arrest the spread of hate, and prevent a recurrence of the Pittsburgh incident. The leaders in Office have an obligation and duty to bring all people together.
1
The guy has 3 Jewish grandchildren. His son in law is Jewish. He shifted the US embassy to Jerusalem - something Obama promised but never did. I’m puzzled what amongst these actions is hitleresque and anti semetic? Please enlighten me.
4
That's what makes Trump's behavior even more grotesque. He has steadfastly refused to denounce antisemitic violence and white nationalists despite the rising numbers of attacks because he needs and perhaps even wants their support.
3
Just a comment. Has anyone noted that these hate murders occurred in a predominately democratic neighborhood, not South Carolina or Texas.
1
However, there have been attacks on churches in Texas and in North Carolina... deranged gunmen in all.
1
I was there today. NYT has reported the events and the feelings 100% accurately. Fake President.
6
The President, Melania, Ivanka and Jared did the right thing by visiting the site of this disaster and the victims.
Those who are politically inclined should have saved their vitriol for a more appropriate occasion. Not to mention that the protesters did not speak for the synagogue's congregation or the family members and friends of the victims.
4
Friends and family members did not want him there.
2
Those people spoke for themselves. They made requests 3 separate times for him not to come AT THIS TIME! They requested him to wait. He disrespected their request and went anyway. If he wanted to show respect to the families and friends, he should have done as they requested and waited until all families buried their loved ones.
Trump has obviously helped to divide our country which was divided even before Trump started in with his Stuff.
All countries are divided to some extent.
It's no secret that Trump made it worse. Much worse.
Your writers, Bruni and Dauthat ask if anyone can help to unite us more. I feel sorry for them and all of us, if we don't see many choices of decent people to help us out of this morass after Trump is gone.
There are "all kinds" of decent people who can lead this country unless you are stuck with your own prejudices that
"ONLY MY PARTY" can lead the United States.
If you are glued to that opinion, then you are a part of the problem.
Our country is still young, just 242 years old. We have time to grow and improve.
In the big picture, Trump is only a blip.
Our people are basically decent.
Decency will prevail but always with problems.
America and life itself, have much in common.
Looking back, The Trump visit to Pittsburgh was not the worst problem in the world.
There will be many problems bigger than that but we will prevail
M.W. Endres
Trump didn't create this tragedy and I doubt he is anti-semitic or racist, but let's be honest about this: Trump doesn't make an effort to denounce anti-semitic or racist viewpoints because he knows those viewpoints are prominent among his supporters. He knows he can't lose those people and still win elections. People listen to the president-if he doesn't make clear that these hateful attitudes are wrong, he's essentially condoning this behavior. I disagree with all who think he should have visited Pittsburgh. He isn't with the victims-he's aligned with the perpetrators. It was a slap in the face of the victims that he visited.
4
This was inappropriate. You don't crash a funeral, and when a whole city is in mourning and traumatized, that is what it is. All Trump was thinking about were ratings or Adelson or photo ops.
This is the least sensitive, least empathetic, and least tolerant of any president. On the same day he floats out an idea of unilaterally changing the Constitution of the United States to exclude people, he shows up at events that were incited by his own rhetoric and bigotry.
Honoring Mr. Rogers' neighborhood and their own losses, and ignoring the invaders in their midst, was a good idea.
Trump is incapable of mourning. He will be tweeting nonsense or insults within hours.
6
This article makes it seem as though the entire population of the city of Pittsburgh was equally divided over this miserably-timed visit of the Trump family. The impression I've had, from all I've read and seen of this tragic day, is that there were some people who, yes, accepted Trump's appearance, but many, many more who did not, and, as mentioned in this piece, were deeply offended it. I found your headline jarring - it didn't ring true - unsettling, as though this slant you had taken and then run with, while it sounds clever, is actually very misleading - if for no other reason than division is not what the day was about. That some people were OK with it isn't "the story". Disappointed with your depiction of this somber occasion. The story is about a grieving community whose trauma was probably the result of months and months of racist propaganda disseminated by the monster who insisted on showing up at the victim's funerals.
6
First of all, Trump has no respect. Not for anyone. Not for the constitution. And, I fear, not the rule of law. He has thrown gasoline on our centuries-old struggles for civil discourse and justice. Whether or not he is responsible for what happened in Pittsburgh, he has done everything to encourage these perpetrators. I loathe what he stands for and I am ashamed and afraid for my country.
10
Trump is transactional; not empathetic. His dogwhistles aren't slips of the tongue. People have a right to be appalled. People aren't protesting to be divisive, but to show we are better than the leadership we have been living with. You can't sully the Office of the Presidency and then expect to hide behind it and the flag. If he sows national upset he is entitled to reap the contempt. And while we churn, all of us, including many of his non-wealthy supporters, are easier prey to have their earned benefits stolen out from under them.
8
Those who do not condemn hate speech are complicit in acts of hate.
5
"But if Mr. Trump’s visit was intended to bring healing..."
Trump + healing = contradiction in terms.
6
I would suggest the following book to Americans who would prefer not to think hard about the atmospherics driven by Trump. You can substitute minority groups in many forms, rather than focus solely on 'Jews."
"Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust" is a 1996 book by American writer Daniel Goldhagen, in which he argues that the vast majority of ordinary Germans were "willing executioners" in the Holocaust because of a unique and virulent "eliminationist antisemitism" in German political culture which had developed in the preceding centuries. Goldhagen argues that eliminationist antisemitism was the cornerstone of German national identity, was unique to Germany, and because of it ordinary German conscripts killed Jews willingly. Goldhagen asserts that this mentality grew out of medieval attitudes rooted in religion and was later secularized.
The book challenges several common ideas about the Holocaust that Goldhagen believes to be myths. These "myths" include the idea that most Germans did not know about the Holocaust; that only the SS, and not average members of the Wehrmacht, participated in murdering Jews; and that genocidal antisemitism was a uniquely Nazi ideology without historical antecedents.
Do not choose to wear blinders about current events.
7
From the incredible services, to the protests, to the diversity of opinion respectfully expressed this all makes me so proud of my city and community. Sq Hill remains united in tragedy, unflinching in our response and tolerant of other viewpoints.
Just Amazing.
6
I’ve had trouble putting Trump’s visit to my hometown into words that adequately covey what I really feel about it. There is a deep and unsettling sense, like how the perpetrator of a crime ( or one who aids and abets) comes back to the scene to help, when all the while he’s enjoying being a part of the dramatic scene-the world’s attention with cameras and news coverage on a community that was severely wounded. Trump has stoked the anger, divisiveness and nationalist tendency of people and gives them a platform and access to assault weapons. His rhetoric will continue so he can excite his base for the midterms. Therefore, Trump’s concern for the people of Pittsburgh and it’s Jewish community, rings loudly false.
21
If Trump and his handlers had any sensitivity, they would have sent the Kushners and waited a week before he went. As someone who lives in New York, where presidents frequently visit, I know how disruptive a presidential visit is. Totally inappropriate while the victims' funerals take place.
19
Let me start off by saying that I was appalled, as a life-long Republican, that this guy became out President. And the first two years of this sad chapter in our history have reinforced that terrible feeling. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel only two years from now when sanity will return at the ballot box. I say this, however, with a fear that there is a parallel insanity that has taken over the opposition. The response from the opposition to the insane man who killed our fellow citizens in Pittsburgh, blaming his actions on Trump, is so inane that it could harden the resolve of the Trump supporters. These anti-Trump zealots recite gibberish that undermines the high ground that they wish the Presidency should occupy. I never thought I would be guided by a Democrat, but on this issue I agree with the former First Lady, Michelle Obama … "When they go low, we go high." Those are not the words of a great Democrat, they are the words of a Great American.
10
Trump wanted TV time. The world have to revolve around him. He obviously does not care about the country else he would have shown respect and stayed away, as he was asked to do.
13
Trump's one and only tactic is to sow division. With as much aggression, anger, hostility, malice, and possible violence to accomplish his and his most loyal base supporters goals. That is it. It has been his only tactic his entire life. There is no better proof of this one tactic that Trump utilizes than on the front cover and article of the issue of 'People Magazine' introducing the world to the show 'The Apprentice'. It shouts out loud 'Division'. With two teams of apprentices facing each other with attacking poses, as Trump strolls down between them after shortly exiting one of his aircraft. The article describes the shows premise which exactly echoes Trump's political style. This tactic of winning at any cost does not impart or set an example of unifying the people of this country.
The great people of Pittsburgh need our prayers and support in their time of tragedy.
Because Trump is never going to change as a person, the people of Pittsburgh who opposed his visit acted appropriately in demonstrating their displeasure by protesting. Well done. For those who welcomed Trump's visit, you too can have your opinion and was noted. The threats and tragedies that shook our country this past week is a clear visible reminder as to how important it is for those with an ethical and moral sensibility to remain strong and vigilant. Rhetoric that does not incite fear and hate is always greater and stronger to unite people. This has always been proven throughout history. Remember this.
6
Trump's one and only tactic is to sow division. With as much aggression, anger, hostility, malice, and possible violence to accomplish his and his most loyal base supporters goals. That is it. It has been his only tactic his entire life. There is no better proof of this one tactic that Trump utilizes than on the front cover and article of the issue of 'People Magazine' introducing the world to the show 'The Apprentice'. It shouts out loud 'Division'. With two teams of apprentices facing each other with attacking poses, as Trump strolls down between them after shortly exiting one of his aircraft. The article describes the shows premise which exactly echoes Trump's political style. This tactic of winning at any cost does not impart or set an example of unifying the people of this country.
The great people of Pittsburgh need our prayers and support in their time of tragedy.
Because Trump is never going to change as a person, the people of Pittsburgh who opposed his visit acted appropriately in demonstrating their displeasure by protesting. Well done. For those who welcomed Trump's visit, you too can have your opinion and was noted. The threats and tragedies that shook our country this past week is a clear visible reminder as to how important it is for those with an ethical and moral sensibility to remain strong and vigilant. Rhetoric that does not incite fear and hate is always greater and stronger to unite people. This has always been proven throughout history. Remember this.
1
After inciting anger and distrust between faiths and communities through highly spurious and divisive tweets and speeches Trump's calculated visit to the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre site is like Trump is running with the hare and hunting with the hounds with no regret for the lives lost.
17
I just wanted to mention how lovely it is that the elderly were so honored in that community. It is inspiring, and terribly sad of course that they lost their lives. But they were honored and appreciated. We should be aware of this as it is remarkable.
A remarkable community, sorry we had to meet you under these circumstances.
25
Trump craves attention.
For him, it matters not whether it is negative or positive.
He is addicted to it.
He gets off on it and, like any addict, will ignore any advice that he might back off, allow others some peace to grieve for and bury their dead.
This imposition of himself in the midst of the sacred mourning of family and others to say goodbye to their loved ones, speaks volumes regarding his sensitivity and willingness to truly hear the other.
Pathetic and sad.
It is not only that he doesn't get it.
He will never get it.
Read about character disorders and you will understand.
Narcissistic, sociopathic.....take your pick. They all apply.
63
@simon sez - As someone who has a family member with a personality disorder - we’re not entirely sure which one but my money’s on narcissistic, although said person can also be vindictive - I can tell you that you are spot on with your assessment that Trump craves attention and will take whatever form of it he can get. That’s how these people operate. My narcissistic relative also craves attention and will push and bother and annoy and disrupt until she gets it. If it’s positive attention, great; if it’s negative attention, she’ll take that too and I actually think she prefers it. The pathology of these people is such that the chaos and misery of negative attention and negative feelings satisfies something in them. They are so unbalanced that unbalancing others is the only way they can feel normal. My relative, thankfully, isn’t as bad as Trump, but dealing with her and watching the fallout of her behavior on others is an exercise in endurance. It’s all about her, all the time, and just when you’re exhausted and thinking ‘But aren’t you tired? Don’t you have enough attention?’, you realize that no, these people don’t tire and they’ll never have enough attention. Rather, they have a limitless ability to suck the energy out of a room. Trump especially is a human black hole. My deep sympathies go to the people of Pittsburgh. It takes incredible strength to deal with a massive personality disorder. I can’t imagine trying to do it while grieving.
If Trump's attitude wasn't bad enough, Pence had a phony rabbi come up and say prayers at a talk Pence was giving. It turns out the rabbi belongs to a group not recognized by mainstream Jewish sects--he belongs to a group who tries to convert Jews to Christianity. Oh brother, how could Pence do that?
Then the rabbi prayed, not for the dead but that we'd all vote Republican on Nov. 6.
Are Republicans totally tone deaf? Are they capable of any kind of decorum?
97
There is no iota of empathy in the Republican Party and the ones who serve them as their masters.
1
@Linda
Pence didn't invite him. A Jewish woman did.
Regarding bombs sent last week to 11 Americans:
- Cesar Sayoc alone is responsible for building and sending bombs.
- Sadly, Pres. Trump is responsbile for proving the mailing list, through his inflammatory taunts and mockery on Twitter and at rallies aimed at those 11 Americans.
51
@Howard Schneider
They were fake bombs. They finally admitted that they didn't have the ability to be detonated.
1
@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus
I'm not clear what point you're trying to make- that Cesar was incompetent? His intention was to harm people, spurred on by what he read online and by Pres. Trump's messages.
Also, where is information about bombs couldn't be detonated; curious.
So glad to see the Words Matter movement. The hate-fomenter-in-chief did help bring this on and is fanning the flames. How dare he show up.
53
Unity is what makes America great not the hate Mr Trump.
16
The evangelicals and catholics voted the radical Trump in office and these horrific crimes should be on them. There priests and ministers the last two years needed to step in and daily demand he must stop his meaness and bad bully behavior. I do not look forward to seeing what he and the GOP have inshore for us for the next two years.
24
@Jack You know this is the New York Times?
Do you suppose the President "had" to go to Pittsburgh to keep the nation's eye on "this horrible anti-semitic act," because otherwise the gaze might have shifted to the killer's real anger: immigrants? Clearly his social media was loaded with white supremacist material making this more than a "hate crime," but an act of home grown radical terrorism linked to the venom spewed by Trump this very week at "invaders." Yes, Pittsburgh witnessed a horrible act against Jews (and my heart is with them) but perhaps it was symptomatic of something larger?
12
Fear and hatred of "the other" is Trump's creed, even if in this case, one of his supporters interprets "the other" slightly differently to Trump himself. Heard today that someone was offering money to a female employee of Muller to get her to make unfounded allegations of sexual harassment against her boss. Could this be the beginning of the end of Trump? Let's pray it is because as long as he is in office, things are not going to get any better.
C'mon, we all know why Trump went to Pittsburg. For once he thought it was to his advantage to look presidential even though he isn't. He doesn't really care about anyone but himself.
49
Help me understand. A president who showed the most support for Israel over the years and even moved the embassy to Jerusalem is anti-Semitic? Whose daughter married a Jew? Wouldn't he be criticized for not going? (sure he deserves it, as always)
48
The State of Israel and Judaism are not synonymous, as many non-Zionist Jews can attest.
38
@JL. "Help you to understand?" It isn't about Trump being anti-semitic. Read the article, listen to the people. Its about his childlike and vile simplifications and rhetoric that empower these losers.
46
@JL
his support of Israel is designed to also win the warped evangelical vote .They wish to sacrifice Jerusalem to lead to the biblical prediction of armageddon and return of the messiah. By angering the Muslims, these folk feel that this will lead to the rapture and fulfillment of the biblical prophecy. Just like the evangelicals profess support for Israel and not the Jewish people, trump plays Jews like he plays everyone for his own advantage. And his daughter is not him.
51
Someone like Jared or Ivanka, should sit Trump down, and explain the cultural and religious mores, about how Orthodox Jews process death. Someone should also explain to Trump, that it is impolite to impose yourself, when you are sitting shiva. If he would only listen...
21
Yes, but what makes anyone think DJT would listen and for once put others before himself.
After a tragedy, the nation looks to the President for consolation, assurance that we are safe and guidance on how to move forward. Trump has failed in each aspect of that presidential role. Continuing to shout hate and threatening to strip Americans of their citizenship is not presidential, it is not even human. Trump should have stayed away from Pittsburgh and allowed the city to heal on its own with the help of local government and religious leaders. Doesn't he have another hate rally to lead?
46
Now we wait for Mr. Trump’s claim that after he visited The Tree of Life Synagogue, the Rabbi told him that in the history of Judaism, no person has ever been more welcome, or made a more fantastic speech, than Mr. Trump himself.
Simply the best ever. Believe me.
37
The nation really should just be militarized. Armed guards with machine guns everywhere - schools, shopping areas, sports places, publuc transport. Etc. That would certainly solve it. Right?
8
Pittsburgh -- stand tall; we're with you. Let's grieve and fight this together.
22
The man who is tangentially responsible for these deaths, has made an appearance to offer condolences for said deaths. This is twisted beyond belief.
39
Trump is going to Pittsburgh because, in his own words, momentum.
18
Does anyone really think Trump is there to be respectful or compassionate? It would be a greater tribute to the deceased and the survivors if he declined invading their peace and INSTEAD demonstrated that respect and compassion that he has never before demonstrated at these whip-them-into-a-frenzy rallies.
17
I would be interested in an HONEST poll of Pittsburgh citizens as to their feelings on Trump attending the services in Pittsburgh.
2
HONESTLY, we would rather he not have descended down on us. The governor and the mayor- two highest offices representing the citizens of Pittsburgh - politely requested that Mr. Trump delay his visit. He disregarded this request and doubled down and reported his desire to sign an executive order to change the U. S. Constitution to deny birthright citizenship to those born to non-citizen parents. Playing right into the white nationalists yet again. It’s like he is pulling marionette strings.
@me I'm wondering which polls you consider dishonest. Could it be any that don't show everyone loves Trump?
1
The inumerable posters held high in the streets today were tell enough of their feelings. I couldn't have agreed more. 45 put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the synogogue instead of the murderer himself or his own sick stoking rhetoric. Mars couldn't have been far enough.
1
Supposedly the president was upset that no one wanted to be seen with him today. Well, Mr. Trump, someone far wiser than I once said "If you want to be admired, you need to do something admirable."
You've failed.
62
For Trump to claim that his words contributed nothing to the hate in Pittsburgh and elsewhere is a blatant lie. If his words mean nothing, why say them? He obviously says things to get an intended reaction, and sometimes that reaction is violence. He can not deny this.
25
I just don't know what to do anymore. According to my spiritual belief system, it's not an accident that I live at this time and place. So it occurred to me earlier today to put the question 'out there' to whatever exactly the higher power might be, to ask, what do I do?
Is there really anything I can to to make things better? I feel so utterly powerless, feeble, to do anything in the face of all this.
I know I can vote (and do), i know I can sign petitions, go to protests if I can get to them. I can make small donations, which is all I can manage at this time. I just feel like history is calling for greater than that and I'm in no position to respond to the call. I can't stand the feeling of impotence and I'm distressed that I'm becoming numb to all this. I feel like the numbness is what is helping me cope.
For what it's worth Pittsburgh, and to all what is now the almost infinite number of my fellow citizens, targeted or felled by violence and hate- we are one in spirit and I send you what love I can from my broken heart.
466
@Wish I could Tell You You are here at this time to VOTE and provide whatever small donations you can. We are all cogs individually but collectively we will make a difference. So take comfort from being part of a larger spirit of redemption.
54
@Wish I could Tell You
I have been experiencing similar emotions, and I also wonder what I can do. Is there really anything that one person can do, to sway the groaning foundation of our society? I am praying more, for whoever comes to mind, without second-guessing the impulse. I am trying to be kind to those I come into contact with, regardless of their political affiliation. If I see someone in need, I attempt to be willing to help. What else can we do, really? Oh, one more thing: VOTE!
28
@Wish I could Tell You
Wonderfully crafted and felt note "north of NYC", thank you for sharing.
Northern New Castle Cty in Delaware,
rudy
11
A stunning repudiation of President Trump.
Is there a parallel in our history?
243
@manta666
Hillary wished that she had been the victim of " A stunning repudiation" too.
You do know that Donald Trump is still President of the United States.
Repudiation meaningless under our Constitution.
6
@manta666 Has there ever been a president such as Trump? Which president delighted in his ignorance and his ability to incite violence. What president worked to arouse hatred and division in the American people. What president kept all of his business assets and made sure that he collected the maximum amount of income from those assets even if there were conflicts of interest. Which president could match Trump's record for lying? Which president sided with foreign powers over people in his own government? So no, I don't think there is a parallel to Trump.
19
@manta666 - Sadly, there is a parallel in our history - and not so long ago. For an intelligent analysis of the Roosevelt era before and during the Holocaust, I suggest Doris Kearns Goodwin's Pulitzer prize winning book, "No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt - the Home Front in WWII. We have the antisemitism in the Roosevelt White House to blame for the lost lives of thousands of Jewish children and adults, turned back at our coastal borders to the Nazi death camps.
5
My heart breaks. Rest in peace.
135
Pennsylvania, you guys elected Trump. Don't forget. I don't say this in an accusatory fashion, I say this to remember at the voting polls in the midterms and next presidential election.
And don't just vote, volunteer to help on a campaign.
245
@M. Pittsburgh didn't elect Trump, the rural counties in central Pennsylvania did.
13
@M.
I believe that Pittsburgh went for Clinton in the last election - and "Pittsburgh is a largely Democratic city." The quote is directly from this article. It pays to read the article and get your facts straight before making such accusatory (it was, whether you claim so or not) and divisive comments. Otherwise, you are essentially doing what Trump does - using false information to attack others.
8
@M. True, but Pittsburgh and Allegheny County overwhelmingly voted for Hillary.
8
If DJT was a leader who embodied kindness and generosity of spirit he would be welcomed with open arms. He is not. Never has been. Never will be.
39
Personally, I just felt like I was violating the dead by reading about their funeral with the emphasis being on who was or wasn’t there to attend it. This really shouldn’t be anyone else’s business. I’m just imagining how creeped out I’d have felt to have to watch my parents’ funeral later that night on TV.
3
Of course Trump is there.
It’s a huge story and they’ve got worldwide media coverage.
Do you really think he’d resist the urge to show off.
10
How can anyone think Trump will offer compassion or empathy to these mourning people? His compassion is reserved for himself alone, he actually said he was "obligated", to go and said he didn't want to!
His first priority--to get back on the campaign trail and get some lovin' from his base--is far more important than respecting the wishes of the victims.
As for empathy, Trump doesn't know the meaning of the word.
10
They didn’t want him there and he didn’t really want to go. So next time someone says stay home, STAY HOME.
14
Except when it comes to Trump and the heartland voters who put him into the White House and sent Hillary on her way.
Protestors need to do a little self-reflection?
4
Donald Trump was effectively designated "persona non grata" by Pennsylvanian elected officials when he tried to meet with them during the funeral period.
That's an international legal action that countries, including the United States, take - in order to officially bar an "unwelcome person".
Congratulations on your success with "Modern Day Presidential", Mr President. I suppose that we can expect more from the wellspring of "Not boring".
4
Trump was made to understand the distaste many have for him and his administration. I hope this distaste is echoed in the midterm voting to return the House to Democratic control. That will a big wedge in silencing the power of the GOP.
13
I love Pittsburgh! You are all the best and always have been!!!
4
Thanks to Clergy of Central Synagogue, Governor Cuomo, Cardinal Egan, and all of the other Clergy and New Yorkers of all faiths who attended a vigil at Central Synagogue this evening to mourn the loss of the 11 killed in Pittsburgh and to stand in solidarity with Tree of Life, the families of the victims and the entire Jewish community. As Governor Cuomo emphasized, this hateful episode of anti-Semitic violence is the antithesis of what it means to be an American. The founding fathers of this country, including George Washington himself, made this very clear more than 200 years ago. We are a nation of immigrants, of all religions, races and ethnicities, and we must stand together as one and speak out loudly against hate and bigotry of every kind. Acts of hate and terror, and words of bigotry, can never be viewed as acceptable or normal.
18
One week to campaign, Trump cannot pass up this opportunity to make an appearance. He’ll say something Presidential if he’s not feeling comfortable. Otherwise it’ll be Trump blasting away, again. Denouncing Democrats and the Press.
3
Tomorrow will show Trump's true colors. The protests and the declines from Ryan, McConnell, Pelosi and Schumer will sting. He will stew over how he had to be there alone. The declines to his invitation to attend funerals will sting. He will be upset that Obama was invited with open arms to the Charleston Church memorial, yet Pittsburgh shunned him.
We will begin to see his response to today via early morning tweets. He will double down on his venom at tomorrow's rally. As Mueller gets closer and as more Americans reject him, he will "tone it up" (his words).
That said, I believe this country will survive Trump. In the meantime, we need to be diligent in not allowing him and his cult followers drag this country backwards.
9
Hé won't mind the sting, because he got what he wanted: attention. He'll do anything to keep the cameras and microphones on him, him, him. He lives by the maxim "there's no such thing as bad publicity", so from his POV, this entire disgusting spectacle was a success.
"If we only have love, then we'll melt all the guns and then give the new world to our daughters and sons." the words of Jacques Brel and all the other idealists and artists who have cried over the proliferation of weaponry call to us once more. The trumpian visitation would mean so much more if he were to take off his NRA merit badge and remember the days of napalm and bone spurs and use his flying foxes to lead the other 70% of us who understand that a ban on assault weapons can coexist with the individual's right to bear arms.
6
Tears. Thanks for the reminder of this beautiful song.
1
"But if Mr. Trump’s visit was intended to bring healing, it instead laid bare the nation’s deep divisions."
Wow that's so unusual for Trump to lay bare the nation's deep divisions. I mean after all he's been a model of bipartisan and every-voice-heard democracy. He's a pillar of free speech, an arc angel of hope. Isn't he? I mean...
He should be banned from anyplace where empathy and hope and love are needed.
10
This appearance by Trump is not about paying respects. He lacks empathy and compassion. It's just a photo op to him.
7
As President, Trump is expected to go to Pittsburgh.
So fine. let him go and let everyone decline to meet with him.
But as the lead generator of hate speech and incendiary rhetoric in America - the man with the biggest megaphone -
Trump owes the whole country a complete change in his words and tone.
Trump will never apologize, but cleaned up rhetoric would mean a lot more than any apology. He could go to his rallies and talk in a rational way - no insults, no conspiracy theory about invaders (as though we have 900,000 Persians marching toward our border), no lies about healthcare, no leading chants to lock up anybody, no praise of body slamming reporters, no calling the media "the enemy of the people." You COULD do that, President Trump. You COULD talk to your base about how we are all Americans and what can each party do to find solutions and build a strong sense of community. You COULD tell people to try to show love to their neighbors - and mean it.
5
Trump did not visit the Texas church where 26 men, women and children were shot down in a Sunday church service in November 2018. Six months later he invited them to meet with him at the White House. Clearly, his visit to Pittsburgh is not based on his empathy about this horrendous murder but political gaming as usual.
13
One only has to look to Ronald Reagan's speech after the 1986 Challenger disaster, or Barak Obama's singing of Amazing Grace after the Charleston church massacre in 2015 to see grace, real empathy and a unique ability all Presidents should have to lead the Country through a time of sorrow. Mr. Trump does not have this quality, nor does he have the personality to be "consoler in chief". This trip to Pittsburgh was for appearances sake and a photo op. Truly a sad state of affairs.
8
Gospel of Mark 3:25: "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
4
The sign by one protester read, "We build bridges, not walls."
If there was ever some advice on all levels for our wall-building president to follow, that would be it.
9
Trump went to mourn the dead right after claiming he could change the US Constitution by Executive Order. How many died fighting for the US Constitution? He has a lawyer who claimed Trump could legally murder the FBI Director in the Oval Office. The dead Trump went to mourn belong to a group that helps refugees. Trump orders the domestic deployment of 5200 US soldiers to stop 3500 or so fleeing refugees over 1000 miles away - hoping to stir up fear and hatred of an imaginary threat of impoverished civilians fleeing drug violence - Trump hopes to gain in the mid-term elections.
7
Just when we think the country cannot take anymore, this tragedy unfolds. It has left everyone that i know speechless. We register horror with each other but are beaten down by tragedy and sorrow for our country; we are powerless to find words.
There has never been a president who has spoken the words of hate and discrimination that this president has. I would like to think he is paying his respects to these beautiful people who lost their lives, but remember, this president has no feelings of respect, he has no moral compass nor compassion. His entire mission in life is self aggrandizing. The world and its tragedies are just a stage to him.
I am so sorry for you, Tree of Life community and I am sorry for Pittsburgh. I am so sorry for our country, yet again.
10
Trump's rally schedule took precedence over the wishes of the people of Pittsburgh. He could have waited. He chose not to.
There is video of the motorcade having to turn around. The protest was large, peaceful, quietly singing with signs that spoke to this country's sadness and what we want, "Love not hate". Hate will always be with us. Do we need or want a president who chooses to sow hatred and division? We have enough problems, don't we? Hate will always be there. But to incite hatred by the president? So very sad.
Capt. Sully Sullenberger, who landed the plane in the Hudson, wrote a brilliant, much-needed piece that can be found in today's Washington Post. Please read it. It lays out what kind of leadership we must have - and soon.
10
I read Capt. Sullenberger's piece in the Washington Post and then I made the mistake of reading the comments section related to the article. I am greatly disturbed by the hatred toward Democrats. I had no idea people felt that way.
To save my sanity, today I choose to reflect on President Obama consoling the nation with his deeply moving words at the Mother Emmanuel church in South Carolina, and then leading a heartfelt and deeply moving "Amazing Grace".
Back when our president knew how to lead. And was a mensch.
43
Some of us are sitting shiva for America right now. Pittsburgh's Jewish community needs Trump and his fake Jews the same way the rest of us need another war in the Middle East.
29
I spent one wonderful year in Pittsburgh a few years ago. This is exactly the city I know. Much love.
15
As a former resident of Pittsburgh of about a dozen years beginning in the early years of this century, I would expect nothing less than what has occurred today. It's a marvelous place full of marvelous (and endearingly quirky) people who do not judge, and truly want to know who you are and what makes you tick. Had family obligations not called me back to Minnesota, I never would have left.
21
Thank you, Presidents Clinton and Obama, for keeping your political slideshows away while we in Denver grieved ...
34
Tone deaf as always. Every day he picks a new way to be repulsive and show both his ignorance and his lack of humanity.
73
@Jeremy Visiting victims? This is a problem how?
1
God bless you Pittsburgh, in your hour of mourning you took the time to resist hate. For me, you are that shining city on the hill.
481
@Luke Thank you, Luke. Love this.
2
What is it going to take to remove Trump from office? What are we waiting for? More hatred? More killings? Trump will destroy or self destruct. The ego of a mad man has no other way to go. I refuse to follow this insanity.
God bless America
Land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the Light from Above.
49
boy o boy do we need that light from above. We are twisting in the winds of fear and hate. Only love can save us.
The Trumps have defiled a holy place. How dare they after they were specifically told not to come.
48
Funerals for mass shooting victims need not concern themselves about meeting the immediate, felt needs of a President. Any servant leader would respect the wishes of the victim’s family, meeting their needs, while sacrificing one’s own needs.
38
This is the second change to this on line headline. First it was that "many" did not want Trump there; then midday it shifted to "some," now we're back to "many" again. Can the Times try to be a little objective, even neutral, with this reporting, especially given how awful and delicate this situation is? How about just saying there are an estimated X number of people who protested? This is a terrible tragedy. It shouldn't be all about Trump or the Resistance.
5
The President is the only one who's trying to make this all about himself.
@ Beantownah Sorry, but given that the shooter chose his target because of Trump's hateful demonization of the Dread Caravan it is about Trump. And his supporters. You all have blood on your hands. No way we're going to buy your phony grieving.
Trump behavior: Typical self-serving primary purpose. It is consistent with the ample behavioral features of a dangerous personality disorder, as generously demonstrated by him ad-nauseam. Vote his Republican ilk out next month, as a start on lawfully getting rid of him.
27
"Ms. Pelosi said she hoped Mr. Trump's visit was not about 'calling attention to him'."
She's kidding....right?
18
Criticizing President Trump for traveling to Pittsburgh to pay his respects for the dead, and to show national support for the community, is a cheap political stunt.
These people need to grow up.
The responsibility for these shootings lies squarely on the shoulders of the person who commited the crime, and no one else.
Society didn't make him do it. Trump didn't make him do it. The media didn't make him do it.
He, alone, is responsible.
Peopel who claim that Trump is somehow energizing far right groups are liars, plain and simple. Nothing he or his administration has said or done can be construed as encouraging murder.
15
Trump not energizing far right groups???!? Uh, hello, that is his entire political strategy! Have you seen his rallies?
37
@Objectivist One of the President's first comments on this atrocity was to suggest that Tree of Life should have had armed guards. He has been tweeting non-stop the last several days with endorsements for Republican candidates who will support the second amendment. So first he blames the victims, then he goes on to support making sure that lunatics like this mass murderer continue to have easy access to weapons of war. After Charlottesville, where a woman was run down by a white nationalist, the President said there were good people on both sides. Just days after the murders at Tree of Life, the President is touting his un-Constitutional plan to simply order the deprivation of children born in the US of citizen-ship -- knowing full well the murderer targeted this synagogue in part because of their strong support for immigrants. He has been calling the caravan "invaders". A very similar concern to those of the man who gunned down people in a house of worship held so dear. He is still running around calling CNN "fake news media" and "an enemy of the people" just moments after one of his ardent supporters has been mailing them bombs. Maybe, you know, if he stopped his incessant bleating over the last few days and appeared even the least bit reflective, his visit would have been far more welcomed.
495
@Objectivist, will you at least equate his ginning up hatred for the "other" with a person shouting "fire" in a movie theater when there is no fire and creating a stampede for the exits and people getting trampled?
If you agree that it is not right to do it, because it is a possible crime, then Trump is the person crying "fire" to his extremist followers which encourages them to chase down and attack his perceived hated group of people, black, brown, the "fake" media and other assorted people who had the temerity to oppose him or just were not the sort of people he wanted in this country. You should join with us and condemn his words and action.
If you say what he says is not a problem, you are part of the problem as a lot of us more empathetic humans and as right thinking citizens of this great country, we will do what we can to right this ship of state and send you all back under the rocks where you belong.
6
"Outside the synagogue, Mr. Trump placed stones from the White House and white roses at a makeshift memorial comprised of white Stars of David bearing the victims’ names."
Apparently nobody told Trump it is inappropriate to bring flowers to a Jewish funeral, memorial, or to families sitting shivah.
47
Ivanka and Jared probably should have mentioned that, but then again why would they have bothered? This isn’t exactly an entire family of people that does the right thing well, ever.
7
The epitome of bigotry is thinking that Ivanka's conversion to Judaism makes her a Jew. Obviously she and Jared are not practicing Jews, otherwise they would have known that flowers are inappropriate. They may be a truly loving couple but their marriage screams "convenience " to further both family's economic fortune. trump only claims he loves Jews because the favored child calls herself one.
1
He didn't go there for the victims, families, or to sit Shiva. He went there for his ego, his ignorant base, his ego, and his ego. It's about him making him great again.
PLEASE, bring us together -- not apart.
3
I’m quite sure, as Trump’s motorcade passed the protests, that the man was stung. His narcissistic self love is matched by the delusion that he is universally loved. After all, he is the President, he was elected by the will of the people, a miracle that even he himself cannot fully comprehend. His rallies rain down adoration as he entertains the crowd with unutterable lies passing for inalienable truths. The entire world may as well be in that place where praise piles high.
As he passed the protests, he likely felt misunderstood and bemused. Finally, he was confronted by an absolute truth, regardless of his familial ties to Judaism, that he is not the talented entertainer he thought, or a guardian of the faith. Instead, a grim reality persists that he is ripping America apart. The Pittsburgh shooter may not be a Trump supporter, but he is a product of sick politick. The president’s responsibility is immutable in these grotesque acts. By having Jared, Ivanka, and Stephen with him, he sets Jew against Jew, dividing a faith thousands of years in the making.
George W. Bush called himself the “decider” and decided to immolate the Middle East. Trump’s venality will never allow the truth that he is a divider and a catalyst for atrocity that we know he is. Can America withstand another Republican demagogue? Can the world outside of the fifty states? It is no surprise that this presidency would decline into unspeakable tragedy. Democracy demands selfless devotion.
25
Well said. Since his inauguration he has held rallies in states that backed him. He hasn't had to face the majority of Americans who voted against him. I hope seeing the people that were protesting his photo op visit gave him a headache like the one America has endured for the last two years. One silver lining of his cloud is that he's most likely energized more people like me to vote next week so that we can begin the process of ending this migraine!!!
Seriously, why was he there?
More of the Donald Trump crazy trip. But taking advantage of the grieving for show is not only low, it’s just plain sick.
24
Lack of real leadership is the real problem . Donald Trump and his whole administration (who cannot control him at all) are responsible for giving these cowards the push they need to actually do the dirty deed. For sure they have acted out made signs gone to rallies but now Trump gave them the license to ACT and kill American citizens, He is responsible his advisors are responsible, his family is responsible. Today he hugged a Rabbi big deal he preaches pure hate and encourages violence. OUTRAGEOUS
Republican leadership wants to hold power at any cost. Their so-called leaders are actually acting Anti American by putting up with Trump's behavior and words which are now actually being put into real action.
The President kind of says he thinks there's no way the Saudi leader did not know about the killing, well there is no way Trump and his administration did not know his words and action would not lead to Americans actually getting killed by them not stopping Trump's outrageous behavior which has now turned into murder and attempted murder
9
"I personally would not blame the president for what happened here. He didn’t invent anti-Semitism.”
Try this and see how it feels: "I personally would not blame the arsonist for what happened here. He didn’t invent fire.”
41
The hypocrisy couldn't be more stunning: Trump sending in the military to repel a group of desperate immigrants approaching our border while at the same time going to the funerals of those committed to helping settle immigrants into the better life many of them were given.
50
You'll see some concern-trolling by Trump groupies, flogging the falsehood that Rabbi Myers "wants Trump there." These people know nothing about Judaism. Rabbi Myers is simply living up to a principle and setting an example of doing the right thing even when Trump is doing the wrong thing. A rabbi is his position would not meet hate with vitriol. Trump will betray him sooner rather than later (my guess within 48 hours), but the rabbi is doing what he has to do. It doesn't change that Trump overwhelmingly is not welcome at the scene of an atrocity to which he is an accomplice.
36
Trump thinks he can disown this act of terrorism by offering words after the fact. Too bad those words can't bring back the dead.
If he wishes to honor the victims, he needs to turn this presidency around. He needs to disown white nationalism. He needs to end his barely-beneath-the-surface racist bans, walls, and citizenship revocations. He needs to offer full throated condemnation of people like David Duke.
To the contrary, this event has resulted in zero change on his positions and rhetoric. Therefore, it is morally correct for people to unwelcome him to their city. His presence is a foul stench in a devastating time for the families, community, and the nation. He should have the decency to leave them alone, but of course, he has no decency. Therefore, it is no surprise that he showed up anyway.
I suspect the rabbi let Trump come because he thought it would be an opportunity to demonstrate the goodness of his faith to the president, and maybe cast out some of the evil, which saturates Trump's being. Unfortunately, that evil is deeply entreched. It doesn't want to let go, and now it has hijacked holly ceremonies to project itself even further afield.
I applaud the protesters whose presence staunches the flow of this unholly reek.
For its part, the nation must awaken to the magnitude of racism in this country, the fact that Trump gave permission to racists to rush out of their closets, and stamp out this great evil once and for all.
26
Way to bring people together.
2
For the benefit of every conscious person on this planet, the death of the Rosenthal brothers must, as much as Matthew Shepard's, recalled last week, expose the intolerability of intolerance, as the most anathema misuse of mind and word as much as of deed, that can rule over any people.
30
He isn't there to pay his respects, because he's an utterly disrespectful person. He's there to be the center of attention.
58
Trump's visit to the synagogue is like an arsonist showing up at a firefighter's funeral.
58
Be prepared to see Trump's malignant narcissism on full display.
33
Trump is largely responsible for the shootings in Pittsburgh.
Trump repreatedly berated the caravan in Mexico -- full of murderers, rapists. disease, Middle Eastern terrorists...
The Tree of Life Synagogue supported the Jewish HIAS program that welcomes refugees.
Trump created the conditions for violence and appealed to the like-minded to commit it.
50
Whatever he does is wrong....
6
@John: He should have waited until after the burials and the elections, everybody would have understood. And why didn’t he call off his rallies and why did he make jokes about having a bad hair day just after the massacre?
3
@John That's right. He is wrong. Period.
1
you are correct.
2
Hypocrisy of the left once again on display for all to see. Who is being hateful and divisive now?
7
@Rob...when you lose the house next week, I will offer free tissues. Are you suggesting protesting is divisive and hateful? Oh never mind, just relax and watch my house of representatives start checking your president.
2
@Rob I'm sorry, but who died or was maimed or terrorized by the actions of the "left" today? Did Trump's feelings get hurt? Is that why you're upset?
7
@Rob: Oh, please. Trump has burned his bridges. He is hateful and divisive and self-aggrandizing pretty much all the time and at almost every opportunity. So now we’re supposed to give him the benefit of the doubt that he is suddenly acting out of sincere kindness and empathy, behaviors that have thus far in his presidency been completely absent?
I hope he wore a Kippa (yamaka). What a great picture for his base to see.
9
"The crowd... was racially diverse, made up of... Jewish people — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and lapsed — and non-Jews".
Excuse me, "LAPSED"? I believe the word you are looking for is "secular". This is insulting.
17
Republicans across the country and Trump in DC continue to run ads about the supposedly Soros funded caravan even after Soros received a live bomb and even after this shooting that was mostly motivated by the support of HAIS to refugees.
This is a terrible mix of anti-immigration, anti-Jew, anti-Globalist put forward by Nationalist Trump and his REpublican henchmen. Here in Florida, Ron DeSantis (running for Gov. - R) just this week was making dog whistle allegations about Soros.
30
The president went to Pittsburgh today because otherwise he would have had to cancel one of ;his hate-filled rallies.
26
Words matter. Two or three slightly described Jewish groups say they don't want the President to visit, but but a single Rabbi who appeared on CNN is prominently quoted. Any respectful man, President or not genuinely grieving and wanting to show respect and care for all people would ask before showing up with his highly politicized son-in-law. He would ask leaders of the synagog defiled by murder and terror to respectfully visit and ensure he is welcome. As the President he does anything, lying and threatening constantly. Yet his initial reaction and statement amounted to "that's really terrible, thoughts and prayers" while not missing a moment campaigning yet not running for office. Trumps dream is an established dynastic ruling class to ensure corrupt, mendacious, privileged rich white men rule with impunity forever in America. Not one Republican dares oppose him and the Trump family is visibly their best hope for any future. A genuine mench or concerned President might stop at an African American christian church nearby and kneal in prayer alone for 15 minutes hoping to hear the voices and memories of millions murdered in the Holocaust and the soldiers of two massive wars defending all humanity and the men and women who died trying to keep our country together through our own bloody Civil War. Many of them lived in Pittsburg, too. Those Jews and Americans died because of the warped religion of race and power Trump enflames ever day. How are these bullets different?
16
Liberal protesters politicizing a tragedy. Sad.
11
@M
Please. Who is politicizing this tragedy, exactly?
31
Trump is unable to accept that his divisive speech from the highest office in the land purposely and successfully incites hatred. That is more than sad. It’’s immoral and dangerous.
"Liberal protesters ". So , what exactly do you call the people at trumps rallies?
This man will soon be welcome only at MAGA rallies and Trump golf courses. He is constitutionally unable to show compassion or empathy. When shamed into acting presidential he resembles a child forced to behave by his parents, or just throws rolls of paper towels and hands out dinners with a grin on his face. I feel for him, like most bullies, he is so wanting.
The people of Pittsburgh deserve the chance to grieve on their own. They deserve our support and comfort now, not distractions. Our country has let them down.
42
I cannot think of anything more despicable than to hear protesters chanting during some of the most sacred moments when family, friends, and yes, the president, were paying their respects in memory of those tragically murdered. Couldn't everyone have just SHUT UP for a brief moment out of respect for those grieving !
Were they shouting to support the families ? No! I suspect very strongly that their shouting only increased the pain of the families. Were they shouting to honor the dead? No! There shouts at such solemn moments defiled those who have died.
And it is the worst excuse to justify this behavior because the president was there. The protesters were not compelled by some irresistible force controlled by the president. No. they could have chosen to let the families grieve and suffer in silence. The president's visit does not give license to absolutely abhorrent behavior. Anybody who thinks it does and engages in that behavior is no better than the person they protest.
The families themselves were the only ones with the right to
object to Trumps presence, and they did not. That the crowd could not control themselves; that the crowd had not regard for how their actions affected the families, is one of the most vile examples of human conduct I have seen.
The president, no matter how culpable he may be in our national division, did not and could not make this crowd act the way they did. The shouting masses made the pain worse for the families, and they didn't care.
6
@Gino G: If Trump had stayed away as requested, there wouldn’t have been protesters in the first place. He could have waited until after the services and the elections. That would have shown respect and understanding. The buck stops with the president.
7
@Gino G The president was asked to delay his visit for a week, he should have respected that request. People were burying their loved ones today. Then they will sit Shiva and grieve their immense loss. It would have been much more respectful of the president if he had waited a week. At least then he could have visited with their families, they were too busy to meet with him today. He should have waited. People protesting his visit, should have done it in silence.
4
@Gino G
The peaceful crowd down the block from the president was singing and praying, not shouting. There was certainly nothing disrespectful of the president; we were actively participating in the mourning process. You cannot deny a community of the right to grieve, collectively, those who have died.
The shooter used the same words as the President to describe the refugees coming to this country. He was persuaded by his President and the right-wing media that they pose a significant danger to this country. He attacked the Tree of Life synagogue because they help the refugees and immigrants that he has been convinced to fear and hate. The right engages in hateful propaganda because it works. Sometimes it works too well.
24
It is notable that Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan, who have been so passive in the face of Mr. Trump's many transgressions of decent behavior, could not bring themselves to lend legitimacy to this latest of Mr. Trump's selfish, egotistical stunts.
That's how inappropriately-timed this visit is.
#PittsburghStrong
32
@AussieAmerican it's more than notable considering McConnell and Ryan have been in lockstep with Trump until now. They took a calculated risk by refusing to appear with him which means they think his midterm strategy is not working. It seems to be a signal.
How’s possibly that anyone could take his condolences seriously? This man and his vitriol for minorities cannot be sincere when addressing people mourning the victims. He is an opportunist, selfishly taking every opportunity to be on the spot.
30
Trump has no regard. He should have waited but that apparently did not fit into his “schedule”. Tragic that his photo op had to be now.
17
What is the difference between Trump showing up in Pittsburgh and an arsonist showing up to view the ashes of a fire they set?
43
@Harris Silver He's the President of the United States, that's the difference, and as far as at least 60,000,000 people in this country are concerned, he is the nation's leader. If you could set aside your hatred for one minute, you'd understand that if he hadn't gone to Pittsburgh, you'd be criticizing him for not caring.
You do not get to threaten and insult your boss (all of the diverse American people) for years, and then wonder why you're not welcome any more.
It is admirable that some look to go above-and-beyond with forgiveness in their hearts. But they do not owe this man anything.
20
Look no further than the comments below to see whom, exactly, is politicizing this massacre.
5
You’re exactly right. Donald Trump exploiting victims of anti-Semitic terrorism, as a convenient midterms photo-op, is sickening politicization of a tragedy.
Expecting trump to demonstrate sincere empathy is like expecting a dog to fly - it is simply not in his DNA. Empathy is so antithetical to who he is, that even when he reads prepared statements of sympathy from a teleprompter, he looks painfully uncomfortable and awkward.
Trump is the archetype narcissist. Everything is about him and everyone and everything else exists solely for his benefit. Add to this mix a healthy portion of sociopathy with its characteristics of persistent lying and lack of conscience, and you have our dear leader.
Hardly the ideal character to lead the free world and bring people together in times of crisis. And yet, about 40% of our nation still supports him. Clearly our problems are much deeper than one profoundly flawed man.
21
Democrats love to protest.
They always show up at other peoples' events.
Trump rallies. They show up to disrupt.
Now, Trump shows up and they have to get in his face.
5
@True Observer you are familiar with the first amendment, right? You know, of the United States Constitution? It's un-American to bash protesting.
Tolerance? The vast majority of people responding to this article are the least tolerant group of people I would ever hope to encounter. Why not just admit that no matter what the Presudent might or might not do it will be intolerable? It certainly would save time and screen space.
6
Throughout his campaign and time in office Trump has pitted us against each other. He has got the people on both sides ready to fight. There is a price to pay for our acceptance of Trump. He has brought all of us to this. We will be lucky to get out of this without guns in the streets.
4
@TW Smith Excerpting from another NYT article*, "tolerance ends where harm begins." I will not, and do not "tolerate" the incivility, lawlessness, narcissism, and vileness of this President as he wantonly destructs most of what I hold sacred about my country. To do so would not be tolerance, but neglect of greater values. He doesn't get a free pass. He is not a King. There is nothing intolerant about calling out injustice. *Link to mentioned article.
1
@TW Smith
And you would be expressing same sentiments regarding President Obama? Hmm.
I was wondering why Trump would insist upon intruding himself against the wishes of those who are mourning, turning it into a media circus and a security and transportation nightmare. . How disrespectful can he be?
Then I remembered who he is and that he wants every day's story to be about him
To paraphrase Alice Roosevelt Longworth:
Trump wants to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening.
But I don't think even TR would have had the gall to show up at the funerals of people whose deaths he had incited through his hate speech.
26
I am watching this live and I don't recognize the song the protesters are singing. Anyone?
2
One observation: Hitler did not invent anti-Semitism.
Mr. Fingeret disagreed: “I personally would not blame the president for what happened here. He didn’t invent anti-Semitism.”
10
I bet when Trump hears the Kaddish prayer... "Blessed, praised, honored, exalted, extolled, glorified, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy Blessed One"... he thinks that folks are talking about him!
23
As someone who knows Pittsburgh, you have to understand it is a true community, a patchwork of tight knit communities. Trump, as usual, understands nothing.
Leave them alone. Just go do your thing at those absurd and ridiculous rallies.
23
Proud of you Pittsburgh. The nation and the globe stand with you.
544
How horrible would it be if the mainstream media didn’t cover his part in the Pittsburgh event?
Respect for the dead and mourners
Silence.
6
@Beth Bastach the media should cover him a lot less in general because attention is what he feeds on...it would be better for everyone to starve him of the attention he pathologically craves
Trump, the hatemonger, tries to make nice after the fact. Stay in DC, leave your victims to grieve in peace.
27
Q : Which President has been Israels strongest supporter ?
1. Obama
2. Bush 43
3. Clinton
4. Bush 41
5. Trump
Which party is a stronger supporter of Israel ?
1. Democrats
2. Republicans
The answers is a) Trump b) Republican
As in the UK (Corbyn) the US left is anti-Israel
10
@Gerhard
Reframe your questions: Which President has been the strongest supporter of Israel’s right-wing government? Indeed, a.) and b.). Now ask another one: how has that position advanced peace in the region? Answer: not one bit.
44
But I live here, not in Israel. Thanks to Trump’s hateful rhetoric, Jews and other minorities, have more to fear.
17
@Gerhard Jewish Americans are worried about America.
The Republican Party is awful for America.
Pittsburgh has been so dignified through this time of tragedy.
Trump is undignified, through all times. Why couldn't he go somewhere else today? Because he craves attention, and the country is focused on Pittsburgh today; such a selfish man.
76
@Kalkat
Mainly because his schedule was full of campaign events.
He wouldn't change a campaign event in order to "comfort the fallen" @AutumLeaff
He didn't have anything else on his schedule. It was Tuesday or not at all.
1
You don’t go where you are not welcome! Especially to a holy place, where people are mourning. At least respectful, moral people don’t.
74
How could the president possibly pay his respects? He has no respect for anyone or anything other than himself!
62
TO Trump it's just another photo op. Ivanka and Jared in tow.
52
I'm trying to remember if and when Trump visited the various school shooting sites.
33
I feel we may find our way back from hate watching the peaceful. prayerful protests in Pittsburgh. We need more of these moments, to rise above the rhetoric of hate Trump traffics in.
24
He is just not welcome anywhere other that his rallies filled with hatred and anger. Leave the people alone to grieve.
40
Trump (and no fan of his here) was in a no-win situation. If he did not go he would have been labeled uncaring and insensitive, and having gone he was labeled insensitive and uncaring. By going he probably was taking the advice of his daughter and son-in-law. Nancy Pelosi had a proper, respectful response for not going..although she probably did not want a photo op with Trump. IDK. Mitch McConnell's response suggested he had "better things to do". Maybe that's as unfair as calling Trump uncaring and insensitive, but, frankly, as far as Mitch goes, I'm totally uncaring.
16
There’s always another option. Imagine if he and Melania had stayed in DC and gone, unannounced and with no cameras in tow, to feed the homeless at a shelter or help build a HfH house in the name of the victims. That would have been a personal tribute that did not cause disruption and hurt. But of course, it’s unimaginable, isn’t it? Inconceivable that they’d be good and decent.
Trump made his own “no win” situation, by behaving and speaking as he has the past 2 years. No sympathy here.
Actually, he did have another choice. He could have made an announcement that said "I am sorry for everything I've done to stir up hate and endorse violence between Americans. Out of respect for the mourning families and City leaders who have expressed their opinion that I would be an unwelcome distraction, I will reflect on my actions from the White House and seek counsel from leaders of the Jewish faith so that I can become a more compassionate and loving President."
1
Every time I read about the beautiful brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal I cry. I cry because I never knew these wonderful men "The Boys" as those that loved them did and never will! Unfortunately as i was watching TV it panned to the charade of the Trumps placing stones and flowers at the stars with the names of the slaughtered! I could not understand why they were placing stones. The tradition of placing stones I believe was started in the mid sixteen hundreds and was placed at a grave. Today it is placed at the grave site on the tombstone to say it has been visited. Small point but also sickened me. The only thing that gave me hope was to see all those standing up to their rights of peaceful protest. Saying "turn your backs", and carrying meaningful signs. I can't wait for the day when I will not have to hear or see these fraudulent hypocrites. I usually tune them out sometimes I am not able.
30
As the son of a man who was saved from a Nazi Labor camp and welcomed to the United States by its government and whose passage was paid for by the HIAS organization, I am appalled by some of some of the comments about this article. Stoking hatred in this country against those seeking asylum and those that are helping them for cheap political advantage should not be rewarded by accepting Trump's insincere homage to some of its victims. Neither should we accept the equating of reporting on Trump's divisive words and actions and criticism of them with that hatred. I have faith in the ability of decent Americans to distinguish between these two kinds of efforts.
30
@Alan Mass
Apparently the "American people" are failing. This hate is being stirred up by propagandists who are employed by our major news organizations.
Shame on those who say President Trump should not come to Pittsburgh and who are trying to politicize a tragedy that impacts not just Jews in Pittsburgh and America but around the world.
Like it or not, Donald Trump is President of the United States and it is important for our national leader to take a prominent role in speaking out against this atrocity.
There are times when political partisanship is inappropriate, and this is definitely one of them.
14
@Ro Ma
It is not only selfish but self-indulgent. They made this all about their own hatred.
They had more hatred for Trump than the shooter. That's not healthy.
3
To be honest, you tell me if he showed up at any of the other mass shooting sites that have happened while he was in office and I’ll let you know if I’m done politicizing.
This was a photo op ahead of the mid-terms, plain and simple. He was asked by our mayor to stay away while we are burying the dead and he didn’t listen. That is outright disrespectful. If you think otherwise, you are mistaken.
3
@Ro Ma This shooting was in direct response to Trump's fearmongering and vilification of refugees and asylum seekers, and to the Tree of Life's support for HIAS, the organization that welcomes and supports refugees coming to the United States.
And on the very same day Trump purports to 'comfort' the congregation, he has announced he is sending thousands of troops to the border to respond to the national security emergency' posed by migrants; and then threatened to repeal, by executive fiat, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
He has absolutely no business coming to Pittsburgh. The tragedy is political - just as every mass shooting in this country is political, when our politics is the root cause of such tragedies.
Mr. Trump cannot play act at mourning in the a.m., and then inflame a hate-fueled crowd in the p.m. , and expect to be welcomed or respected.
Sorry about that - that's just how it is. Hitler, the KIan and the Confederate flag don't get a lot of respect in this country either - except among some of Trump's most ardent fans.
That's our national disgrace; and we don't need to have our faces rubbed in it.
If 45 tries to turn his visit into political capital, it would be truly reprehensible.
6
Wishing peace to the families and friends of the victims.
As to whether the Trumps should have visited today? Of course they shouldn't have.
Nancy Pelosi 'said she hoped Mr. Trump’s visit was not about “calling attention to him” and urged the president to temper his speech.'
Of course it was ALL about calling attention to him, and of course he won't 'temper his speech'. He is incapable of doing so.
My guess? DJ Trump saw this horrific event as an opportunity to get out the vote. Nothing more, as he lacks empathy,
19
And had he not showed up, he would’ve been called callous, insensitive and worse.
The rabbi had said, that he, as a citizen, DJT is his president; and his presence was warranted.
3
He was explicitly asked not to come and yet, there he is. He has no respect for anyone or anything. To ignore the wishes of the people who have been murdered and brutalized at least in large part to his own actions is incomprehensible. Nothing this awful man does surprises me.
45
A man who yells "fire" in a theater and subsequently patrons are killed in a stampede...can be prosecuted for endangerment, through use of words. Trump did not pull the trigger on the death of these 11, but used his own words of permission to right wing zealots. If I were family of any of these 11, I would in no uncertain terms tell Trump where he could go, and it would not include an invitation to Pittsburgh. Words matter. Especially when you are POTUS.
35
So what's the point of protesting Trump's appearance at a funeral after he has already made the decision and actually shown up?
Now the protesters have made a spectacle of themselves and have disrupted a solemn occasion for the memorializing citizens who have been killed. They are glorious hypocrites. If they want to show support for the survivors they can send flowers. That's what most civilized people do for funerals, or they dress appropriately and visit the family during the time specified for visitation, or whatever it's called. One doesn't organize a protest and shout and yell from across the street.
If the media has to acutely observe, comment, judge and condemn a president's appearance at a funeral why don't they also judge and condemn the circus of protesters acting like they are at a political rally.
15
You don't seem to understand you are offending the families and communities of the dead if you attend their funeral after you caused their deaths.
One does organize a protest if he thinks Trump is partially responsible for this bloodshed.
That’s why trump went, to create more division. He created the violent toxic stew with Fox cheering and amplifying his lies, and now he goes —unwelcome, but bullies his way in without consent—to get more photo ops, headlines and glow in all the attention he steals from people who wanted to bury the dead.
DJT's need for constant attention and adulation "trumps" all other needs of anyone else, even those who are grieving.
Maya Angelou said "When people show you who they are, believe them."
25
Yes, he is to blame. When you act and talk of hatred , retribution, and spout forth of only yourself, people are listening. And yes regretfully some think you are truthful. Most of us are aware of your motives and see right through you and your political allies. This country, we deserve so much better. I have never witnessed such atrocities from our leaders, or for that matter in our government, unless we look back at how the republicans tried to take away healthcare, Medicare and Social Security during President Obama’s administration. At least we had him to fight for us. Did he ever encourage people to hate, disrespect, condone violence? No! Trump never shows sincerity he talks like a pre-recorded message, with none of its warmth.
19
How heart-breaking. The brothers, the 97 year old woman, the couple married 60 years, the doctor who treated AIDS patients when others wouldn’t- it’s as if the best among us were taken.
The Trumps are there for purely political purposes, get it over before he goes back to his monster rallies and back to spewing the hate that encourages such horror. That we live in the Age of Trump is heart-breaking as well.
20
The words from trump's mouth and the tweets he sends clearly promote hateful acts against those who differ with him. They promote violence against minorities...all minorities, even you.
It is tragic that hundreds of thousands of Americans hang on each of his hateful words, and themselves chant as if in a trance.
Even more tragic is that the GOP, your Republican legislators and mine, are silent as trump eggs on his mob.
The current president, devoid of regard or empathy for anyone other than himself, might spew his hateful words simply to gain attention.
trump's Republican enablers in government ignore the teachings of their parents, their instructors, and their pastors as they let their greed silence them in the face of harm, grievous harm to countless humans.
It's not just trump. It's not just a million crazies. It's GOP greed.
Let us turn them out, that they might find employment outside of government.
This is serious, folks.
20
Many have sought to compare Ronald the actor Reagan with the empathy void Donald Trump. I am a Jew and in great pain as I witness the hate in your once great nation. I am 70 but I remember 1980 and how after his nomination Reagan visited Philadelphia Missississippi not to honour the valiant young men who were martyred because they loved America but to honour the hate that took their lives.
12
@Memprhie et Moi
Trump learned quite well, don’t you think?
3
Mafia guys never miss a chance to attend funerals.
That said, thank you to the three authors for focusing on the personal details of two of the victims illuminated by their tragic murders. I found the description of the developmentally disadvantaged pair and especially the participation of the local fire department (that one of them visited regularly) in mourning their murders very touching and descriptive. It put human faces on two of the members of this decimated congregation.
If you could now get some news conveyed to your headline writers, we could begin to take some of the oxygen away from the destructive flaming rhetoric we need to hear much less about. Writers and readers alike must fight our moth-like instincts. Stoking the fire is too easy and the results we are seeing now are too deadly. Take one small step - please stop leading with the name we need not speak.
7
If people, rightly or wrongly, are believing Trump's indirect culpability in the synagogue attack, then maybe his chances at the polls next week will be diminished.
That will be a tonic not just for America but for America's allies as well.
11
After the visit, a visit that Trump can use as propaganda to have others believe he is compassionate, we can expect the hate monger to continue stoking the fires of hate and having more persons add to the carnage we are witnessing.
When Trump perpetuates the hate means we have regressed to tribal warfare in which no one is the winner save Trump. And his supporters, in their ignorance, cheer loudly.
Isn’t this grand?
11
We need to stop referring to DJT's comments as 'dog whistles' (i.e., things heard by people prepared to hear them), but as 'green lights' (i.e., permission to act) for despicable actions.
He has given haters permission to hate, and to ACT on that hate.
We can not stand for that.
17
@Phillip O.
we still can vote
so do it
Since everything is about optics for his base this is a win-win for Trump. If things go along quietly Trump looks presidential and will be able to brag, Look they don't think I'm anti-Semitic, I'm presidential, I get along with everybody. If there are protests he will play the innocent, claiming he just came to pay his respects and look how badly he was treated.. His base will fill in the blanks with their own anti-Semitism, racism, etc. I feel sorry for Pittsburgh. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
15
I remember Trump's visit to Parkland after 17 high school kids were killed. He had a lot of photos taken of himself with his thumb up and a cheesy grin on his face. The surviving teens were much more mature than he was.
I hope this time he realizes people are in mourning and people are mad at his rhetoric. In other words, I hope Trump grew up for this visit.
13
“His stop is an opportunity for him to play the traditional role of consoler in chief that presidents often step into after a national tragedy.” That’s laughable. Trump does not know how to be consoler in chief. His stop could have waited for the dead to be buried in the Jewish tradition requiring 24 to 48 hour burial, only made complicated by the numbers of deaths and the continuing Investigation.
Past presidents swiftly addressed the nation,as a whole,during times of great tragedy and sadness and he should’ve done so but he is incapable.
We look to our POTUS for soothing words, guidance and leadership! He has none of the qualities of a great leader and lacks the emotional depth to be of comfort to anyone, He can’t even fake it and is a shell of a human being.
38
a beautiful piece of reporting.
18
I think the president should be required to behave himself for 2-3 days straight before going to Pittsburgh. How about no acrimonious comments and/or campaigning for a few days, with acrimonious defined as comments/campaigning that stokes hate and disdain for other people groups.
24
unseenly for Trump entourage to disrupt flights of family members arriving to bury their dead when he could have canceled one of his rambunctious rallies next week to pay his respects alongside my PA senators and Governor Wolf. In this case the office exceeds the man. Mr. Trump would have crossed the divide by canceling a rally to stand alongside PA democratic officials.
18
Mourners need their friends and families. They don't need POTUS, especially trump.
It was totally inappropriate for trump to appear at this time. It would have been more tactful to wait a few weeks and then visit the families who mourn. Of course, trump loves being inappropriate.
I don't understand why his daughter and son-in-law don't counsel their father. Trump's words have been incendiary. He just doesn't get it.
Let's hope voters are smarter than trump this time.
21
Please be respectful to the entire breath of Jewish culture and belief. I, as many do, self-identify as a secular Jew, not a lapsed Jew. The latter phrase assumes a position of orthodoxy and even fundamentalism.
8
I’ve always wondered if our leaders esp. the current administration listens to the public. Doesn’t he know better that this is a private matter and the city of Pittsburgh is still healing?? We need to vote and let our voices be heard next week!!
17
He is going for one purpose only, to score political points and do damage control. He might fit it in on the way to Mar a Lago.
26
If his campaign rallies are more important than showing the proper respect for these 11 souls, then he should just go to them and stay away from Pittsburgh as requested. Send Ivanka and Jerod, if he must, and go get his ego stroked by his base. Pelosi and Schumer were right to stay away. Respect the profound loss and the community's need to grieve - this is not a photo op.
11
Unfortunately President Trump is not acquainted with honor, responsibility, compassion, humility, authenticity or nobility. These are ideals learned at a young age which become tools for a lifetime.
44
Trump will never admit that he ever said anything wrong or inappropriate. Never, ever. Maybe, however, all of this will give him some pause and he'll tone it down in the future, without ever saying anything about it. Time will tell.
9
Sounds like he is doing a great favor to American people. I wonder how he really feels about this horrific tragedy in the world. I received so many phone calls from Asia. Every country in Asia feel so sad and sorry about this American tragedy. God Bless.
7
Trump was asked not to come; he went anyway. The ultimate, absolute definition of insensitivity. Every time I think this man can't shock me further, he ups his game. As if those families weren't in enough pain.
37
I suspect, President Obama, Both President Bush's, President Clinton and President Carter would be welcome with open arms.
This isn't about the President. This is about Trump.
46
Those suffering like this should have the right to make a choice. Do they want a president and also when and who - current or prior.
7
"The White House gave no immediate explanation for why the president was determined to rush to the horror-stricken community over the objections of local leaders. But Mr. Trump has a heavy travel schedule filled with campaign rallies beginning on Wednesday, with at least one political appearance planned each day until Monday, the eve of the midterm congressional elections."
Enough said.
Please, in the name of all that is decent, vote! And vote out every Republican on the ballot. Our best hope for an end to this madness is to crack the wall of political protection that surrounds Trump.
54
@WTK I just this evening made another donation to the Republican Party. Thanks for the encouragement.
So inappropriate for this staged protest to occur outside the Temple at a time of mourning and while religious services are being held. There is a time for politics, but this ain't one of them.
9
"The White House gave no immediate explanation for why the president was determined to rush to the horror-stricken community over the objections of local leaders. But Mr. Trump has a heavy travel schedule filled with campaign rallies beginning on Wednesday, with at least one political appearance planned each day until Monday, the eve of the midterm congressional elections."
Well, that says a lot. Can't interrupt those campaign rallies, can we? Once again, Trump puts his own ego and demands ahead of common decency and respect for the families of the victims.
12
I don't understand what Trump did there. If nobody wanted to meet with him, families didn't want him at funerals, where did he go and what did he do? Maybe have a rally with his supporters?
3
I mourn these beautiful souls, and shed a tear in their remembrance. They have now been embraced in the arms of our ever loving God. May their families and friends receive the grace and strength to endure their loss.
11
To those who lost loved ones, a friend, a neighbor, a citizen, in the tragic shooting in Pittsburgh, my heart is saddened as is most of the worlds. trump again only puts himself first not listening to those who have requested he not visit, at least for now. This week we mourn with you in Pittsburgh, next Tuesday I will be exercising my obligation as an American citizen. I will vote for change and sanity to come back to the country we all love.
18
Thank you to the numerous government officials who refused to further bruise the hearts of Pittsburgh's fallen. Trump tried to rally his GOP and adminstration sidekicks, but they understand this is more than ham handed, this is cruelty for the sake of getting this over for him so he can continue to punch down. His declaration to end native born citizenship after ordering troops to the border is another cheap shot. The week before this horror they had just celebrated the annual National Refugee Shabbat. How many insults are they supposed to take before the dead are ut to rest?
I've witnessed how this should have been done. I participated in Tucson's memorial event. It came well after the dead had been buried and when everyone could attend from all parties and every level of government to stand up against attacks on our public officials and community. This event took up one arena and half the stadium, so planning was important as was security for the entire leadership of AZ and our President.
We civilly listened to each and everyone of them and then we rang out with joy for the capacity to still find peace among ourselves. FOX News panned us for being oddly off tone.
Trump is trying to break us, make us give up and embrace his own tactic of hatred. This forced unwelcome attention from a president with such a deficit of humanity is an insult to all of us. Thank good the rest of the government understood that.
12
As a proudly Jewish atheist, I would say that I've never heard us referred to as "lapsed," an adjective often applied to non-practicing Catholics. As my father used to say when, as a red-diaper-grandbaby, I questioned whether we were really Jewish, since we didn't believe in God, "When the SS knocks on your door, you'll be Jewish." More positively, I now feel very certain of my Jewish identity, for all kinds of reasons I'm proud of. This is a tribe one is born into for life, regardless of spiritual practice. So who are you calling "lapsed?"
17
"So, I’ll go. Not that I want to go, but I think that I actually, in reverse, have an obligation to go.”--Trump
In reverse?
2
Thank you for pointing that out. Once again, our president strings together words without the faintest idea of how to convey a coherent thought.
The people of Pittsburgh are true Americans. The diversity of the mourners is gratifying and is what we all want to see. This is what we want everyone to observe throughout all issues in our lives. The people of Pittsburgh may not all agree on all issues but they do agree we are all human and deserve respect. Pittsburgh is a tough town but has more heart than any place I have seen in a long time. Hurricanes are destructive but they can be expected, this tragedy of the killing of totally innocent people is a senseless act that no one can accept or understand.
The people of Pittsburgh are a shining example of what all Americans should be.
4
A president sets the tone and tempo for the country with their words, much as a conductor leads an orchestra. When the conductor wildly flails his or her arms instead of guiding by using delicate motions, the result is a discordant cacophony of noise that assaults our senses. If a president does not understand those basics, he or she cannot bring harmony to any group.
12
Hopefully trump will be gone by day's end.
So far I haven't seen any photos of trump at the synagogue. Hopefully it will stay that way. There is nothing that gets under trumps skin more than being ignored by the press and the public.
4
I'll admit that after I've heard Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell tell me their take on some of the things Trump supposedly said that were so hateful they certainly do. It always surprises me often however when I read or hear what his actual words were and in context that I'm never quite as sure. Daniel also walked into a den of lions.
1
I am greatly encouraged by Pittsburgh's response to Donald's visit to Pittsburgh. This reaction to Trump's visit says that this is how a lot of folks will be voting - ANTI-DT!! I sure hope my gut feelings about voters' reaction to Trump is on point. We need this guy out of the WH and securing the House of Representatives, and hopefully the Senate as well, will go a long way towards making that a reality.
4
I lived in Squirrel Hill for about four years in the early nineties (my early twenties). I worked in the Squirrel Hill bookstore, I got to know the neighborhood, met Fred Rogers, Michael Chabon (and others) at book signings, learned a great deal about relating to all manner of people. The universities are not far down the road, offering so many points of view and interesting characters to know, most of my friends were LGBT, everyone seemed at home. "A Day in the Life of Israel" came out and it was an event.
In spite of the corporate encroachment of the big box bookstores, our store thrived because it was part of the neighborhood, part of the community, and I was very proud to contribute to that reputation. It was transforming for my life to have had the chance to "grow up" there. I walked by Tree Of Life everyday on my to work (no car). Mused on the mural a thousand times. I cannot say specifically but I'll bet I encountered some of the victims in the course of working there. I loved that place and it was hard to leave.
Donald Trump simply does not belong there right now.
I say this making every effort to suspend my personal loathing for everything he represents.
Please stop humiliating us with your cheap stunts.
1220
Lovely words, thank you. And HE is the cheap stunt.
Thanks, GOP. VOTE.
46
@Humble/lovable shoe shine boy writes of his " loathing for everything [the President] represents."
By going to Pittsburgh, Trump is drawing a line -- making it clear that violent hatred (and anti-Semitism in particular) is not something he encourages or condones, let alone something that (as President of the US) he "represents."
Ironically, those who'd make this a matter of "personal loathing" are crossing that very line -- explicitly and unambiguously justifying (and acting on) their own (politicized definition of) hate.
As a Jew (a Bernie Bro and a gay man), I welcome the message that Trump is sending by going to Pittsburgh, however long overdue.
A this crucial moment, we must not that message to be obscured or overshadowed by personal loathing or political differences. Is that the sort of outcome we should seek to encourage?
"Thanks but no thanks"? Trump should be commended for showing up in Pittsburgh -- but the problem doesn't begin and end with Trump. If this is now fully our ethos as a society, it's already too late.
2
@Phyliss Dalmatian
Us conservatives are going to vote. In numbers that will astonish the pundits.
The democratic party will have only a few years subsequently to ask serious questions about what any American could possibly get from their leadership.
2
Gee, I'm sure that the impending election being what it is that there could be some in Pittsburgh who would make the president and Melania feel unwelcome.
I'm wondering, though, whether there could be some who actually made them feel welcome?
5
@Richard Luettgen
Whomever they may be I assure you they will be on the wrong side of history as it will be written. Some of them generous to be sure but wrong nonetheless.
Trump insults the dead and wounds further the grieving. Why, if he respected those in mourning, would he bully his way into their ceremony from which they had asked him to exclude himself?
60
I kind of wish this article had no comment section. There's plenty of time for us to go at each other later. We don't need to do it on day one of 11 funerals.
16
Trump in a Synagogue is a desecration, it will have to cleansed, he has defiled it. It has be cleaned just as the Maccabees reconsecrated the temple after defeating Antiochus IV.
46
@David Underwood
A Philistine in the temple, Dishonest Donald fits the definition.
2
Trump is a walking, talking obscenity. Increasingly I meet people who you might think inhabit his “base,” but they are disgusted and appalled by him. I can only hope that they vote accordingly to throw out every Republican who has enabled him and stood by silently as he has debased our country and democratic norms.
71
New Paradigm observers think not party but wealth and power organized as parties drive divisions/slash freedoms/lie and kill. Policy is more important than form.
These NP observers see the recent tragic deaths and threats as part of a broad, violent wave raising since the night club shootings in Orlando, followed by mass shootings at a concert, at a school, at shopping centers, spikes in police and civilian shootings, mental cruelty to toddlers, attacks on churches and worship centers.
The common feature is the killers are white males, armed with AR-15 style assault weapons, all legal if memory holds. Is the weapon itself an icon of freedom or death? Is it a fetish of violence or the virtue of safety? Does its freedom of ownership embed those who want to commit spectacular crimes?
The debate rages as we wait for someone (white, male) to exit the shadows again bearing arms, AR 15 style.
Shouldn't we now declare the ownership of these weapons a threat to public safety? Can we afford the emotional and material costs of its constant, unpredictable presence in the wrong hands? How does a killer owning legal arsenals of AR-15s, the country witnessing their repeated use over and over, make the country safer?
Make our grief count. End the carnage. We lose nothing by banning a weapon so thousands yet unknown can live—stop death as a scattered statistic.
86
@Walter Rhett - Your whole list of White Male actions doesn't make dent in the average year of murders by persons of color in Chicago alone. You injected race into the equation.
How thoughtful of Trump to stand in for Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church crowd.
127
@Josh
That would be the protesters, not Trump.
1
@Josh. Please explain this comment.
Put me down as a protester.
This guy is only trying to be the enter of attention. We've already seen he cares little.
141
It's unclear why Trump wanted to go to Pittsburgh? It's perfectly clear: Trump went to crash funerals because he is an extreme narcissist who must constantly grab the spotlight on an hourly basis - even from innocent, murder victims and their grieving families and friends. He is sick. He is a disgrace. He is unfit to be president of the UNITED States. VOTE.
345
Trump is complicit in these hate crimes. His refusal to denounce white nationalists, his speech advocating violence to his detractors, and his graphic demeaning of his political opponents incite such action.
172
I'm not surprised he barged in. Trump leaves a trail of broken china everywhere he goes.
158
In this case it’s broken lives and broken families.
3
If he goes to the border and begs forgiveness from the people on the caravan then there is the beginning of greatness. Anything short of that is disgracing the memory of the people killed.
55
If the president had any class which apparently he and his family do not, he would of respected the wishes of the families. People who were murdered because of his horrific statements that triggered a deranged person can not even be buried in peace. Has this con man not done enough to the country, the world and these families. He just has to make it about himself and yes GOP people so quick to say Trump should go. Well the people are letting him know they feel about him being there.
Trump just wanted to show he has the right to go cause it is always all about him. After pretending he cares ,Trump will be off to the hate campaign rally with a smiling crowd of haters standing behind him I am sure the con artist will have something mean to say.
God just doesn't like evil and the con man is evil.
Pure evil to show up but that is what Trump is, pure evil.
102
Donald Trump is responsible for the murders in Pittsburgh. He is not solely responsible, but there has been no voice stronger than his in creating fear and hate. He is absolutely responsible. To think otherwise is to stick your head in the sand. People we were worried about what Trump would do when Mueller got too close. This is the beginning of it. Even today he is pouring gas on the fire talking nonsense about birthright citizenship. Nonsense that will further inflame people on the far right. This is the single greatest threat to the American experiment in the country's history. The country could have split in two in the 1860s. Here, there is nowhere to run. This cuts to the very heart of what we are as a country, as a people. There is no difference, none, between Trump now and Hitler in the early 1930s. As Woody Allen hilariously and brilliantly wrote for Max von Sydow's character "the question is not how could is possibly happen, the question is why doesn't it happen more often?"
56
hy·poc·ri·sy
/həˈpäkrəsē/
noun
the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.
synonyms: dissimulation, false virtue, cant, posturing, affectation, speciousness, empty talk, insincerity, falseness, deceit, dishonesty, mendacity, pretense, duplicity.
80
It’s got to be all about Trump . It’s seems like he can’t take the fact that these victims of american violence are knocking him off of his perch as topic/story number one . He’s even upstaging the dead !
56
Trump caused these deaths by endorsing hate and prejudice. Trump is only there for a photo op; he has no sympathy for anyone but himself. Vote out GOP enablers to save Democracy in America. Ray Sipe
64
My walk this morning was a breath of fresh air. I entered Forest Park, the 5,200 forested acres is one of the largest in America, as usual. The trees were ablaze with Autumn colors and the air was fresh from overnight rains.
At the park's entrance I found a well-defined heart constructed of bright red leaves, perhaps thirty feet across, laid out on the sidewalk. In the center of the heart was a Star-of-David in brilliant golden leaves.
The leaves spoke clearly to me of the heartfelt intimacy humanity shares with one another.
143
This is beautiful. Thank you to the person(s) responsible and thank you for sharing.
4
@dmbones
Thank you for that beautiful image.
As I waited for my prescription to be filled, I eves dropped on a young woman telling two others about the services held at our Jewish Community Center. She went in with a heavy heart but came out full of hope. I confessed my sin of listening in but I had to tell her she was the best medicine I could get today. This tops off a beautiful day in my neighborhood.
I gave to HIAS, also. It's the least I could do to feel less helpless.
9
Thank you for sharing this beautiful small moment that can remind us to pull back from the anger and hate.
8
Who goes somewhere they are not invited?
Salt on a wound.
81
We stand with the victims of our sad times.
42
Trump's approval rating is 42%. Jared Kushner hasn't had one recently, but in June is was about 25%. Apparently 40% of Trump's supporters don't approve of his Jewish son-in-Law. That's equivalent to about 24 million of the people who voted for him. Not saying they're anti-Semitic. But suppose only 10% of them are...
29
@Marshall Sahlind - Maybe they don't agree with his politics.
Sorry, but trump has already weighed on on what he thinks.
The Shooter is just one of those "very fine people" that trump loves right along with his dictators and strongmen.
66
Trump should keep all flags on government buildings at half-mast until all the violence from individuals and hate groups ends. The flag should be used as a reminder of all the violence happening in our country everyday. The flag at half-mast could show us all that words matter and actions need to be taken to heal the country. If Trump won't do it then our local governments and cities should do it. If you have a flag in your yard, on your house or at your company let is fly at half-mast until the violence ends.
18
The man is so needy that he cannot be left out of the news cycle even if he's not welcome
69
Charlie the Tuna was not "the tuna with good taste," but rather "the tuna that tastes good."
Donnie the Luna is not the POTUS with good taste; he's the POTUS whose words inevitably leave a bitter aftertaste.
May the memories of the victims be as a blessing, and may the president's presence impinge on them and their families as little as possible.
16
It is pretty low to crash a funeral. Many persons respectfully requested that the couple not go to Pittsburgh. They went out of hypocrisy--the recognition that vice gives to virtue--and to provoke the fear and outrage and reaction that excites his base.
55
@Edward Bash But it is not uncommon for New Yorkers to crash funerals for self promotion purposes, network, etc.
"Trump Arrives in Pittsburgh as Many Make Clear His Visit Isn’t Welcome". Sounds like there plenty of intolerance to go around from both sides of the political spectrum.
Like reasonable people everywhere, I am appalled when our President makes remarks that are divisive and intolerant of others. I feel the same when I see the main stream media (including this newspaper) spewing similar invective directed against those with a conservative political philosophy. I don't like it when the liberals are ready to destroy someone because of a single "credible" but completely unsubstantiated allegation of sexual harassment. And I am not pleased when then candidate Hillary Clinton accused half of Trump's supporters as being "deplorables."
Welcome to America, circa 2018. It's long past time we all matured. Our President should tone down his often inflammatory rhetoric. So should politically correct liberals. So should the "many" in Pittsburgh. And so should countless loud and too-angry voices in the so-called main stream media, including the Times and including CNN.
8
Take note, City officials asked him to wait until after the services because they didn't feel they had enough security to cover both his arrival and the mass attendance at the funerals. I don't feel that was rhetoric, perhaps you do.
13
@Alex The "many" in Pittsburgh include the mayor, who asked Trump to wait a few days and not come on the same day the police force needs to be securing the funerals. It was a security and resources issue, as well as a respect issue - we are still burying the dead and don't need the distraction of a presidential visit right at this moment. Trump disrespectfully comes anyway, wearing city resources thin, because coming a couple days later would mess up his rally schedule. This is completely aside from people not wanting him here because they don't like him. Of course Trump won't stay away because liberals asked him to, but the fact that he ignored the very reasonable nonpartisan reasons the mayor gave for requesting he hold off on the visit is what I find completely disrespectful.
12
Regarding Kavanaugh, it was the right who ensured his reputation remains under a cloud by avoiding a thorough investigation.
Regarding your point about the headline, what sane person wants to see a man who used his position to spread lies and hate so that someone finally acted on them, near his/her family member’s funeral? Additionally, are you claiming the protests and ill feelings, including on this page, are fake news? If not, that’s a fact, even if The Leader claims otherwise.
6
My family and I live 4 blocks from Tree of Life. It is so insulting for this ignorant, uncaring man, who did not have the grace to cancel a pep rally for his supporters on the day of this tragedy, would show up in our city. I wish he had the dignity to speak to us in the amazing way that our mayor Bill did at the press conference on Sunday or the way President Obama did in his Amazing Grace moment in Charleston. But he doesn’t.
117
Please please please let Trump say nothing, be dignified, and leave.
Today is for the mourners.
I would like to thank the writers of the Times for showing the grace, dignity, compassion and love shown in the extended Pittsburgh community. For conveying how great the loss is.
22
You’re asking for something this man is incapable of summoning up, it’s all about trump.
3
It's sickening to see and we are now watching a sitting president , who every single day is only interested in one thing – himself .
And he feels that he can do anything he wants because he believes that he can get away with it. Let's see what happens after the midterms with Robert Mueller…
In the end, as Gandhi said, tyrants always fall.
27
And many welcome him. The human mind sees what it wants to see.
7
And again, many don’t. You could go round and round all day saying many do and many don’t. But what should be crystal-clear to all is that he has no capacity to unite us. None.
7
@Joe Yoh
I see the guy I feared could rise from the 2008 great depression. I didn't expect such an obvious fraud, but do we know how many of us buy that stupid stuff on TV?
This is only a campaign stop for him, if he truly knew the hurt he wouldn't come yet, and he wouldn't do anything public. Pittsburgh is raw right now. He's the political version of Fred Phelps. He doesn't want this to get in the way of his campaign that hasn't gone to plan and funerals are not going to stop him.
17
Trump acts presidential 5 percent of the time and then acts as a divider 95 percent of the time. It just doesn't work and it never will work.
I'm getting tired of hearing some in the media say "he said the right things", and then he is back on Twitter dividing the country even more.
17
@infinityON
5%? when is that?
1
It takes days, often weeks, for Trump to go to areas hit by natural disasters. He has yet to visit any of the California sites hit by fires. He has yet to visit any of the military in war zones. But because it is just before the mid-terms, Trump insists on going so he gets his name and picture in the news. These families and the community deserve respect and support. They dont deserve to be used as a photo op.
39
So McConnell and Ryan claimed they were unable to get away, which is generally not the right response to a funeral invite...
But then, they were not invited by the families, but by a guest. Declining was the right answer, and I am glad they did so. It would have been better to simply state the following: "No, I will not attend. Instead, since my presence will be a disruption, I will leave the community in peace to mourn their dead. I extend my condolences to all. May the memory of those buried today be a blessing."
8
It's not about grieving for the victims or respect for the citizens, he simply would not replace one of his abhorrent rallies on the schedule to show at a time that was appropriate.
11
This is one of the few occasions where I believe President Trump has no better option to opt for. Under most circumstances, he deliberately tries to make provocative decisions to his own advantage, but facing a hate crime of this nature, visiting or not visiting will both warrant a sea of criticisms.
Of course, I am only commenting on whether he decides to visit or not. The whole 'bad hair day' rhetoric is another issue that shouldn't be forgiven lightly.
4
I’m not going to say Trump had a hand in this massacre- besides, he never admits responsibility for anything with poor results. However, he should spend less time campaigning and more time leading.
8
incapable of leadership
As he always does, the president forces himself in places he isn't welcome. His ego won't acknowledge in any way how unpopular he is with most Americans. Instead, he responds by attacking others on his hit list. This presidency, this nation, this world must grovel before him; his self-image is much like an old mirror: he only sees himself and not the flaws contained therein.
10
Trump likely never sees the irony in sending troops to the border and going to Pittsburgh. Thankful that protestors are there to remind him.
9
Irony? This is strategy all the way. He's been increasingly riling up his base as we approach the midterms.
Will he blame protests on George Soros?
21
Some are blaming them on Alexander Soros
Some have criticized Alexander Soros for an editorial he wrote the other day critical of the hate that is now so prevalent in politics. That was before the terrorist hate crime in the synagogue.
Trump is unwelcome to pay his so called 'respect'. He is the principle reason these innocents lost their lives. As someone who was raised one block from the synagogue, I say stay away!
53
@ Gary Actually the shooter hates Trump as much as you do. The Shooter was not inspired by Trump. Further Trump is POTUS and any US President SHOULD honor the victims of this hate crime and this synagogue and surrounding community, so it's completely appropriate that he be there.
2
It's not appropriate when you are asked to come at another time or not t all.
Bowers didn't like Trump because he wasn't right wing enough. It isn't like he went out and pulled the lever for Clinton. He is a malcontent who likely stayed home and played with his guns on election night.
In information published about Bowers in today's Pgh. Post Gazette he was reported to have initially supported Trump for election. Then some of Trump's positions disappointed him as not going far enough. He posted on one of the sites he used,"So now there's nobody."
8
@me
The shooter's problem with Trump is that he's not extreme enough; it's not as though he's against everything Trump stands for.
3
Other elected politicians refused to accompany Trump to Pittsburgh.
They knew it would appear a political stunt this close to the mid-term elections and Trump should also.
Sadly he carelessly makes flamboyant, tasteless political stunts all to often.
52
What a difference it is when Trump is not attending a rally of hand-picked Trumpsters cheering him on like maniacs.
When he is forced to venture out into the public he gets a much different response.
Let's hope he doesn't toss any paper towels to the grieving multitude. But with this guy, you never know.
70
Sara Sanders was at it again yesterday, portraying the president as the victim. Trump is unconcerned about his sworn responsibility to faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States. Instead, he is all about ratings, appearances and a sociopathic idea of “winning.” These facts should be enough to make all citizens shun our president, and I am glad that many residents of Pittsburgh have the courage and good sense to do just that, even in their time of despair.
59
@Left Coast Contrarian: Leslie Stahl of CBS has now asked him two questions to which he's given honest answers. The first? When asked why he continues to demean the press he said, "So when you all write bad things about me, no one will believe you." And the second? When asked if he felt personal shame for mocking Dr. Ford he said, "We won didn't we?"
Beyond disgusting and should never have been anywhere near our White House. He's destroying America.
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Today America will see the simple, decent folks who are grieving and honoring their love ones gone too early. Please respect their mourning period.
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Yes, Trump is the President,and that is the problem; he is the root cause of what has happened in our country: it happened on his watch. It’s his responsibility. That is the truth and that is the problem.
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How utterly low of the lowest, the television man, Trump, wishes to appear before cameras to be seen by the nation to garner political favor and love after having created a climate of hatred and anger in America. It's all about Trump being seen before a backdrop of Jewish victims. How callous, cold blooded and cynical can he get?
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Horrifying the Ivanka and Jared availing themselves as "proof" that the President isn't a bigot. That's like saying just because Trump is married, he can't be a sexist. Ridiculous. THEY promoted his candidacy with all their might and are now promoting his presidency. They are talking out of both sides of their mouths. This is all about brand. They care about regular citizens about as much as Trump does, which is only for their vote and nothing more than that.
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It’s sad to see this spectacle play out as a city mourns and families bury the dead. The site of Trump, who only wants the attention, would truly cast a pall over any sort of observance. It would cheapen it. This is expected of a president, which is why he’s going. Will Melania wear her “I don’t care, do you” jacket?
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Trump's rhetoric created the climate where this sort of violence is, sadly, commonplace. Trump's followers are the ones shooting people and sending bombs. Trump and his ilk refuse to consider sensible regulation of assault weapons.
There's blood on Trump's hands, as well as the hands of the NRA, hate-speak talk radio and media, and those who block any legal measures to limit weapons meant for mass killing.
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We shall see if he is going to pay his respects or to further rev up his base. When we all look back, after he leaves, I’d like to be surprised and learn that it was the former, but I fear that that won’t be the case. It’s good to have hope, but it’s also good to be a realist.
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Does anyone truly believe the president capable of paying respects?
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@Damolo
John McCain certainly did not believe he could or would.
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In Pittsburgh, any civil and compassionate statements spoken by Trump will have been composed by somebody else and displayed on a Teleprompter or a page printed with big letters and a few photographs of DJT himself. Just to keep him occupied.
When he starts insulting people and claiming this horrible mass shooting was caused by the media, by “fake news,” that’s all him. His voice.
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He shouldn’t go, but he’s going to go, because he knows that he is responsible and needs to defy the charges. You can’t falsely shout fire in a crowded theater, you can’t confront someone with fighting words, and you can’t provoke a riot. Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric - his lying - gives the most bigoted, racist, crazy members of society permission to act out. He has shouted “Fire!” to paranoids and “Lock her up” to violent fantasists. Now we live with the tragic results.
If Trump came to my home, I’d lock the doors and call 911. He isn’t welcome. He needs to be told that on November 6. Vote!
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This man has absolutely no finesse, no sense of decency, and no idea that anything matters beside himself. They already told him they don't want him there. What part of that is he incapable of comprehending?
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Trump is in a no-win situation.
If he skips, he's horrible. If he shows up, with his usual lack of restraint and political garbage, he's horrible.
But - since his rhetoric and lies about the caravan, Soros, and so many other things were a large part of why this shooting happened, Trump should not expect to be in any comfortable situation.
Any normal human being would have long ago given a tearful mea culpa and shown some true remorse - or a cynical good performance.
Trump instead continued holding his rallies, comparing them to keeping the stock market open after 9/11 (a lie as well as entirely ridiculously not the same thing), and playing "Happy" songs.
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Other presidents have not been able to attend certain events and have sent emissaries or called personally to extend sympathy, etc. and does anyone remember any ill feelings?
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Trump always follows the beat of his own drummer, despite any advice to the contrary. He could have gracefully rescheduled, but no. He needs this photo-op now, prior to the midterms, to demonstrate that he loves and respects Jews. Trump's decision in this case is especially gauche, even for him.
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The first rule of making a shiva visit is to speak only when spoken to. If Trump goes to Pittsburgh, he should go without the "protection" of his "Jewish daughter and grandson-of-Holocaust-survivors son-in-law." The community of Pittsburgh will receive him in whatever way they see fit. And Trump will need to learn how to shut up and listen.
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