Trump’s Common Touch

'Beautiful moment' at slain police officer's funeral

Word of Donald Trump’s faith and kindness is emerging amid the sorrow and mourning surrounding a slain NYPD officer’s wake.  

Jonathon Diller, a three-year police department veteran, was murdered March 25 while conducting a traffic stop in Queens. He was shot below his bullet-proof vest. Both suspects have a lengthy criminal history, with one out on bail in connection to a separate crime.

The 31-year-old leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old baby boy. In a heartbreaking eulogy, Stephanie, Officer Diller’s widow, said, “My husband died a hero, but he also lived like one.”

“It’s hard to imagine how long I have to wait until I see Jonathan again. When the doors of heaven open for me one day, I hope to see Jonathan standing there looking at me just like he did on our wedding day,” she stated.

'Breaking the tension'

Trump, reportedly invited to the wake by family members, visited Thursday. Fr. Michael Duffy of Rockville Centre, officiating Diller’s wake, relayed what it was like standing next to the 45th.

In an interview outside the funeral home, the priest — who married the couple — said he “thanked Trump for being there” and for “his goodness to the family.”

Father Duffy said Trump prayed the Our Father along with the other mourners. After

the prayer, the priest said Trump “so beautifully turned and kissed baby Ryan on the forehead.”

“The baby clapped at the president, and it just broke the tension,” Duffy explained. “It was just such a beautiful simple human moment. It meant so much to the family and to the people in that room.”

One source reporting on Trump’s interaction with Baby Ryan wrote, “This moment not only showcased Trump’s genuine connection with people but also lightened the mood during such a dark hour.”

“You can have your opinions about President Trump — Lord knows, plenty of folks do —but there’s one thing that’s undeniable: the man has a big heart and a deeply humane side to him that always shines through when most needed,” the source added.

Afterwards, Trump spoke outside to about a dozen reporters about officer Diller's murder. "What happened is such a sad, sad event, such a horrible thing," he said.

"We have to stop it. We have to stop it," he emphasized about spiking crime and soft-on-crime policies. "We have to get back to law and order. We have to do a lot of things differently because this is not working."

'Blood on your hands'

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also made a visit to the funeral home on Friday. On her way out, the Democratic lawmaker was filmed being confronted by an emotional mourner. Some reports claim the mourner was Diller’s uncle who shouted, “[H]is blood is on your hands.” Bystanders could be heard clapping as she left the premises.

New York’s Democrat-led state house has been roundly criticized for a package of bail reform measures focused on being “more fair for people charged with crimes,” with law-abiding – and enforcing – New Yorkers paying the price.

Fox News reported that Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James asked to speak at the Saturday morning Church service, but were denied.

“How completely out of touch and disrespectful – it’s about them when you make that kind of request. It really should be about the family,” said former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who lost a close governor’s race to Hochul in 2022.

A Tale of Two Campaign Rallies

Trump's appearance at Diller’s wake came on the same day Biden held a glitzy campaign fundraiser in New York at the Radio City Music Hall. Flanked by Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and entertained by the likes of Lizzo and Queen Latifa, Biden reportedly hauled in a record $26 million for his re-election.

The Biden campaign did not allow reporters to record video inside the event. But AP News reported Obama complimented Biden’s willingness to look for common ground, gushing, “That’s the kind of president I want.” Clinton encouraged voters to stick with the 81-year-old Biden, saying, “Stay with what works.”

Trump had his own campaign-boosting event on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, at the Mar-a-lago Club in Florida.

Called the “Catholic Prayer for Trump,” it was organized by Catholics for Catholics, a group whose priority is “hold[ing] our elected leaders accountable to the Constitution and, in a special way, to those politicians who refer to themselves as Catholic.”

"Our Catholic faith impels us to make our voices heard in the public square as Jesus Christ instructed us not to keep our light under a basket," it continues.

The event featured a list of luminaries including,

• General Michael Flynn, Top National Security Advisor

• Jim Caviezel, Producer, Actor

• Michael Knowles, Author and Media Host of the Daily Wire

• Jack Posobiec, Human Events

• Steve Friend, FBI Whistleblower

• Tom Homan, Former Director of US Immigration

• Patricia Sandoval, Pro-Life Activist

• Terry Beatley, Hosea Initiative and Pro-Life Speaker

• Tim Ballard, Operation Underground Railroad

• Roger Stone, Political Consultant

• Arthur Pawlowski, Evangelist and Human Rights Advocate

It is no accident that Catholics for Catholics held the event at Trump’s property. The group is maintaining that he is the only Catholic voter’s option for 2024, underscoring the Catholic non-negotiables.

It is no accident either that the event was held on the feast of St. Joseph. Pope Pius XI declared St. Joseph in the 1937 encyclical Divini Redemptoris, the world patron against Communism.

Catholics for Catholics is invoking St. Joseph’s protection upon President Trump and the US.

Dr. Barbara Toth has a doctorate in rhetoric and composition from Bowling Green State University. She has taught at universities in the US, China and Saudi Arabia. Her work in setting up a writing center at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahmen University, an all-women's university in Riyadh, has been cited in American journals. Toth has published academic and non-academic articles and poems internationally.

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