Well done on the upside-down show of diplomacy
Chatham, N.J.: Dear President Trump: Congratulations! You demonstrated your superior diplomatic and negotiating skills in your recent meeting with that ingrate Volodymyr Zelenskyy. True Americans applaud your quashing — I mean, firm handling — of the Ukrainian leader.
By the way, if you need to find Ukraine on a map, it’s north of the Black Sea and east of a bunch of inconsequential countries in Eastern Europe. When you invite foreign leaders to meet with you in the future, they’ll know they are there to listen to the Great Monoglot, not voice their own thoughts in English, and also know to pack a lunch.
Zelenskyy’s reaction to the ambush — that is, meeting — must have been as gratifying to you as it was to the worldwide TV audience. Your inclusion of the vice president in the meeting was brilliant. May I suggest, however, that next time you seat him opposite you, with the foreign ignoramus in the middle for maximum instructive effect?
You have opened what would have been a new chapter in the art of diplomacy if Germany’s leader had not already explored it in the 1930s. Speaking of history, you are one of the few who understand that Ukraine started the war by seeking membership in NATO (along with Eastern and Central Europe, Ukraine became independent from Russia in 1991). Vladimir Putin made the only appropriate response to Ukraine’s insolent courting of NATO by sending armored columns into the country. Or was this historical knowledge given to you by one of your handpicked advisors? Some slanderers say you don’t read much. Paul Denk
Go full pro-Putin
Princeton Junction, N.J.: Trump should just give Putin a ticker-tape parade up Broadway and get it over with. Judith L. Cabral
Counterproductive
Brooklyn: America is a really divided nation with significant problems that can’t be solved unless we work together. Our leaders must try to make the situation better, not deepen the wounds. Therefore, it was disgraceful watching Trump deliberately make the situation worse instead of trying to work with his opponents. Degrading everybody who has the audacity to say he is misstating facts is the behavior of a 4-year-old. No other president would ever act that way. Alan Podhaizer
Ascendant positioning
Nissequogue, L.I.: Sometimes, when you lose a battle, you find a new way to win the war! I couldn’t help but think this when I saw Lee Zeldin triumphantly walk into the House Chamber prior to Trump’s joint session of Congress speech. The four-term congressman from Long Island put his undefeated 6-0 election record on the line in 2022 as a massive underdog, challenging the mighty N.Y. Democratic machine for governor in the bluest of blue states. Although the election didn’t turn out as he wanted, Zeldin’s hard work brought it within the margin of error. But because he ferociously campaigned around the state, he is widely credited with flipping three upstate seats that ultimately gave the GOP control of the House of Representatives. We’re going to be seeing a lot more of Zeldin in the post-Trump era as he carves his path to what Ronald Reagan would call his “rendezvous with destiny.” Steve Louro
Tactical advantage
North Bergen, N.J.: Trump may be crazy, but he’s clearly not stupid. If disarming the FBI and CIA makes it more difficult to identify and combat criminals and terrorists, that’s what he wants. If eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau makes it harder to protect consumers from fraud, if ripping off Social Security makes the lives of seniors and the handicapped more difficult, if cutting Medicaid and Medicare makes health care less available, then he wants the resulting pain and suffering. By removing experienced Pentagon officials and replacing them with officers loyal to him, Trump sets the stage for the unconstitutional use of the military for domestic crowd control. If crowds protesting the pain, suffering and chaos become so large, Trump will be inspired to suspend the Constitution and initiate martial law. He could then insist that until he can restore law and order, he must continue as president for a third term. Irving A. Gelb
Lot of mayhem
Brooklyn: To Voicer Dennis Pascale: You should come to Costco in Brooklyn, where the disability parking is a free-for-all. I have made it known to Costco employees, who didn’t seem to care. People even have the audacity to park in the fire lane, a disaster waiting to happen if a fire breaks out. All Costco cares about is money. Josie Oliveri
Terrible choices
Floral Park, L.I.: It defies logic that Andrew Cuomo could be favored to win the mayoral race. Have New Yorkers completely forgotten how much damage he did as governor? For starters, it was Cuomo who sent 15,000 COVID victims from hospitals to nursing homes, resulting in countless unnecessary deaths. And mind you, Cuomo has yet to take responsibility for his major blunder. Also, it was Cuomo who pushed bail reform through, and we all know how disastrous that has been, with criminals serving little to no jail time and being free to commit more crimes. Finally, the proposal for congestion pricing in NYC was Cuomo’s baby. But being the hypocrite he is, Cuomo now says he is strongly opposed to bail reform and congestion pricing. What a laugh. New Yorkers, wake up! Do you really want to put our city in the hands of this guy with such a rotten track record? Angelo Vetrano
Left-wing blundering
Yonkers: The mayoral race in NYC is the latest example of the malefic tragedy that is today’s Democratic Party. From the far-left entrants trying to out-radicalize each other to the corrupt failure Mayor Adams, to His Royal Arrogance Cuomo, Democrats are destroying this city and state with their raison d’être of grievance, division and dependency. Presenting Cuomo in particular — who should have been in jail three years ago — as a savior is akin to Jack the Ripper saving London. Voters must finally reject these Democrats who continue to put party, politics and power ahead of principle, probity and people. James McCaffrey
Egg-onomics
Plainview, L.I.: To Voicer Georgia Dolack: Just curious what the price of eggs in Little Egg Harbor, N.J., is. Also, I went to the bagel shop and they have a sign saying because of the price of eggs, they are going to charge $1 more. I asked if I get egg whites only, do I get charged 50 cents less? The owner said he’ll get back to me on that. LOL. Frank Mauceri
Set memories
Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: I’ve lost a long-lasting friendship. Popeye, goodbye, old friend. Gene Hackman, Billy Friedkin, Tony Lo Bianco, Sonny Grosso, Eddie Eagan, Roy Scheider, Marcel Bozzuffi and Fernando Rey — gone. I am the last remaining “The French Connection” detective; it is a sad badge to wear. I spent three weeks with Gene and the rest of the guys, turning them into “real” detectives. Gene and I bonded, as we both entered the military at 16, he a Marine and I a paratrooper. We spent a lot of time making arrests and going over police protocols, such as how to properly toss a suspect, raid a bar, take fingerprints and realistically hold a gun (Gene showed great compassion for the prisoners). These guys could have passed for legitimate NYPD narcotics detectives. It showed me that actors are like sponges. Their ability to transform was inspiring to witness, and Gene was one of the best. Randy Jurgensen
Balloon bust
Manhattan: As a longtime resident of Manhattan and a native New Yorker, I didn’t think Times Square could get any seedier, but I was wrong! A giant Kim Kardashian balloon shilling her lingerie line has appeared. I do not consider myself a prude — far from it. But is this an appropriate display for the “Crossroads of the World”? A place that invites tourists to come and bring families? When I attend the theater, I avoid the Times Square area between Seventh Ave. and Broadway. It is crowded, dirty, sleazy, trashy and tacky. I can only imagine the bad behavior and photo-ops this will encourage. Does anyone have a very large, long pin? Karen Madden
