For the last 40 something years, the motto of the age has been "Whoever dies with the most toys, wins." I think we are due for an upgrade: Whoever dies with the most joy, wins! And, know that tRump has never experienced a moment of true joy in his nearly 80 year rampage of a life.
Joyce Carol Oates-from Twitter-about the Apartheid Druggie Musk
So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated , uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the “most wealthy person in the world.”
He is, without doubt, the poorest, shabbiest man on the planet. All the gold in the world will never be enough for him. In Charles Dickens' words, "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner" (originally describing Ebeneezer Scrooge).
You get the sense that Mamdani is happier on any given day than Don the Con would be if he had all the money and authority in the world. Come to think of it I've seen lots of pictures of Don the Con, but I don't recall ever seeing him smile in any of them. He has a permanently affixed scowl
The Orange One has two expressions, a scowl, and a smirk that is actually worse than the scowl. He never looks happy, probably because he is always miserable. Detesting every other human on earth will do that.
Maybe, as a baby. Malignant narcissism is developed in adolescence, born from the emotional pain of never being able to please daddy & mommy. Gotta protect that little fragile sense of self.
Mmm, dunno about that. Have seen a couple of different narcissists grow up. Seems to show up long before adolescence. But you are right that deep insecurity is at the root of it. Trump does all the selfish and self-promoting things he does to to convince himself he's okay -- and he never will. He just keeps doing more and more damage to everyone else. Some have called narcissism part of the Dark Triad of malign personalities. Overly dramatic? After watching Trump the past 10 years, I no longer think so.
New York knows Trump. He was booed at his NYC polling place when he ran the first time. He lost New York and New Jersey, home of his casino disaster, both times. We remember the Central Park Five. No excuses.
Ooh, clever! a Burns parody. I wonder if his Scottish mother used to recite Burns to him, as all Scots like to do? I don't think his German father used to recite anything to him, not even Struwwelpeter. "Let us see if Philip (Donald) can/Be a little gentleman/Let us see if he is able/to sit still at table/ And so on.
This man has the perfect playbook. Too bad mainstream democrats can’t seem to get the message. They cling to the tired same old words and actions, more terrified of losing their power than anything else. Those people and those days need to be behind us. Stop running a campaign on trump this, trump that and say and do something that is real to the citizens of this country.
The river of Mainstream Democrats is drying up. Most of the candidates in the 2026 elections are poorer, POC, and much more confrontational than the Schumer variety.
The voters in Maine are going to take the risk with Platner. He has a checkered past, but he admits that. He is saying what needs to be said, and promising to do what needs to be done, and that begins with getting rid of Susan Collins and winning the Senate.
It is true that the Democrats need to say what they stand for. Peace, prosperity, clean air and water, public education, universal health care, fair elections, empathy towards minorities ... lots of choices.
But it is also perfectly legitimate to point out how much harm Trump and his administration (Project 2025, Musk, Kennedy...) have done to the country, not to mention the world. They should not be continued in power a moment longer than the electoral cycle permits.
Ps - Rubin outlines a few of the many reasons Mamdani continues to be popular in the city and around the world. Hopefully Dem leadership takes more notice.
and at least forty of the people who worked most closely with him in his first term said publicly in 2024 that he was not fit to hold the office of president. That was not enough of a clue for MAGA either. (Of course Fox didn't tell them about that, so for them it didn't happen.)
The fat lady is tuning up, Superman is in the building. By a thousand little metrics, Americans are ready to take back the country. We don’t have to agree on everything. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for all is plenty.
If NYC keeps it up they will be strong contenders for a whole city that deserves a Nobel Peace prize. Current contender is Minneapolis for their social cohesion against the ICE assholes.
Great column as usual, thanks, Jen! Did you also notice that everyone had their hand over their heart during the National Anthem? Rump alone saluted, probably either to draw attention to himself and/or to hide his worsening face. I look forward to the day when we no longer analyze his various absurdities and what they mean. The only problem (yipes) is the horror that comes next!
If not in uniform, a salute is out of place. Old convention is when dressed as a civilian, hand over heart, and for heaven's sake, remove the hat or cap. The U.S. Flag Code so indicates.
If we call New Yorkers "courageous" for booing, what word do we then use for the people of Minneapolis? Do not mistake me, I applauded NYC's response to Trump, but a little perspective here?
Thank you for the short video. I hope you take time to honor another NYC hero who died yesterday, Jane Yolen, author of 450+ books, and a writer who encouraged other children's authors such as myself.
Thanks for this inspiring compilation of feel-good news, Jen! One small correction, though, to this sentence: "No woman had won best play since Wendy Wasserstein’s award for The Heidi Chronicles in 1989." It is true that no AMERICAN woman had won that Tony since Wendy Wasserstein’s award for The Heidi Chronicles in 1989. But French playwright Yasmina Reza won the best play Tony in 2009 for "God of Carnage." That quibble aside, brava!
For the last 40 something years, the motto of the age has been "Whoever dies with the most toys, wins." I think we are due for an upgrade: Whoever dies with the most joy, wins! And, know that tRump has never experienced a moment of true joy in his nearly 80 year rampage of a life.
Joyce Carol Oates-from Twitter-about the Apartheid Druggie Musk
So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated , uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the “most wealthy person in the world.”
He is, without doubt, the poorest, shabbiest man on the planet. All the gold in the world will never be enough for him. In Charles Dickens' words, "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner" (originally describing Ebeneezer Scrooge).
Charles Dickens had quite a way with words.
When the man thinks only of himself, he cannot break the mold to reach out to others. We see examples of this almost every day.
Kasperhauser: Brilliant comment. That's a fridge-door list.
You get the sense that Mamdani is happier on any given day than Don the Con would be if he had all the money and authority in the world. Come to think of it I've seen lots of pictures of Don the Con, but I don't recall ever seeing him smile in any of them. He has a permanently affixed scowl
The Orange One has two expressions, a scowl, and a smirk that is actually worse than the scowl. He never looks happy, probably because he is always miserable. Detesting every other human on earth will do that.
The guy looks like he has a chronic case of indigestion
Or constipation.
Occasionally he puts on that fake smile, but it is only the lower half of his face mimicking a smile.
That fake smile full of false teeth is horrifying.
he certainly never laughs, except to mock someone. But a hearty laugh? Doesn't happen.
Poor Barron.
He thinks it makes him look like Churchill.
We might even add, "Whoever dies with the most toys is the biggest LOSER!!!!"
You hit a nail. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
But isn't he a Christian? Anyone know of at least one sign of Christianity in Donald J. Trump?
Pls read Matt 22:37-40. I John 2:4.
Exactly.
Maybe, as a baby. Malignant narcissism is developed in adolescence, born from the emotional pain of never being able to please daddy & mommy. Gotta protect that little fragile sense of self.
Mmm, dunno about that. Have seen a couple of different narcissists grow up. Seems to show up long before adolescence. But you are right that deep insecurity is at the root of it. Trump does all the selfish and self-promoting things he does to to convince himself he's okay -- and he never will. He just keeps doing more and more damage to everyone else. Some have called narcissism part of the Dark Triad of malign personalities. Overly dramatic? After watching Trump the past 10 years, I no longer think so.
New York knows Trump. He was booed at his NYC polling place when he ran the first time. He lost New York and New Jersey, home of his casino disaster, both times. We remember the Central Park Five. No excuses.
Reminds me of a very old song, paraphrasing:
To know, know, know him
Is to loathe, loathe, loathe him...
Ooh, clever! a Burns parody. I wonder if his Scottish mother used to recite Burns to him, as all Scots like to do? I don't think his German father used to recite anything to him, not even Struwwelpeter. "Let us see if Philip (Donald) can/Be a little gentleman/Let us see if he is able/to sit still at table/ And so on.
This man has the perfect playbook. Too bad mainstream democrats can’t seem to get the message. They cling to the tired same old words and actions, more terrified of losing their power than anything else. Those people and those days need to be behind us. Stop running a campaign on trump this, trump that and say and do something that is real to the citizens of this country.
The river of Mainstream Democrats is drying up. Most of the candidates in the 2026 elections are poorer, POC, and much more confrontational than the Schumer variety.
The voters in Maine are going to take the risk with Platner. He has a checkered past, but he admits that. He is saying what needs to be said, and promising to do what needs to be done, and that begins with getting rid of Susan Collins and winning the Senate.
It is true that the Democrats need to say what they stand for. Peace, prosperity, clean air and water, public education, universal health care, fair elections, empathy towards minorities ... lots of choices.
But it is also perfectly legitimate to point out how much harm Trump and his administration (Project 2025, Musk, Kennedy...) have done to the country, not to mention the world. They should not be continued in power a moment longer than the electoral cycle permits.
Amen.
This is true. But - AR rifles, an arsenal in every home?
It took the first half of game 4 to smudge the stench of Trump out of MSG.
Once that was done, the Knicks had the biggest comeback in Finals history.
We can’t stand Dolan, but we love the Knicks! 5!
Ps - Rubin outlines a few of the many reasons Mamdani continues to be popular in the city and around the world. Hopefully Dem leadership takes more notice.
The city that knows Trump best hates him most. It's about time MAGA got a clue.
and at least forty of the people who worked most closely with him in his first term said publicly in 2024 that he was not fit to hold the office of president. That was not enough of a clue for MAGA either. (Of course Fox didn't tell them about that, so for them it didn't happen.)
YES!
MAGA has no values. But MAGA is a small proportion of the population. The unison shout of "New York hates you" was crystal clear.
The fat lady is tuning up, Superman is in the building. By a thousand little metrics, Americans are ready to take back the country. We don’t have to agree on everything. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for all is plenty.
If NYC keeps it up they will be strong contenders for a whole city that deserves a Nobel Peace prize. Current contender is Minneapolis for their social cohesion against the ICE assholes.
Great column as usual, thanks, Jen! Did you also notice that everyone had their hand over their heart during the National Anthem? Rump alone saluted, probably either to draw attention to himself and/or to hide his worsening face. I look forward to the day when we no longer analyze his various absurdities and what they mean. The only problem (yipes) is the horror that comes next!
And he didn't even keep his arm up through the song! I suspect he's too weak to do that.
If not in uniform, a salute is out of place. Old convention is when dressed as a civilian, hand over heart, and for heaven's sake, remove the hat or cap. The U.S. Flag Code so indicates.
Good catch, fellow Steve! I made the same observation on a different post, but should have done so here, too.
If we call New Yorkers "courageous" for booing, what word do we then use for the people of Minneapolis? Do not mistake me, I applauded NYC's response to Trump, but a little perspective here?
Why can't they both be phenomenally courageous, exceptionally inspiring cities to all of us?
Exactly!!! Courage comes in many different forms.
Well said. Minneapolis stood up to a sustained and brutal assault during the winter.
"Heroic" works for the good people of Minneapolis and the Minnesotans who joined them.
Thank you for the short video. I hope you take time to honor another NYC hero who died yesterday, Jane Yolen, author of 450+ books, and a writer who encouraged other children's authors such as myself.
Thanks for this inspiring compilation of feel-good news, Jen! One small correction, though, to this sentence: "No woman had won best play since Wendy Wasserstein’s award for The Heidi Chronicles in 1989." It is true that no AMERICAN woman had won that Tony since Wendy Wasserstein’s award for The Heidi Chronicles in 1989. But French playwright Yasmina Reza won the best play Tony in 2009 for "God of Carnage." That quibble aside, brava!
Well spotted, Steve Honley. Top playwright, Yasmina Reza (French, father Persian born in Russia, mother Hungarian).
Rock on, Jennifer. Zohran Mamdani is a man on a mission, and a “Man in Motion,” making NYC
affordable for all New Yorkers. Much like the Manhattan skyline, he stands tall.
And much as his name says, he is a ray of light for New Yorkers who are living in a river of darkness due to NYC’s affordability crisis.
I wonder if Trump is going to fire the meteorologists who are predicting rain for his White House debacle?
Well, I know we're all praying for rain, but the meteorologists are working on it too? (Rubs hands).
Awesome Article . . .again. . .and again. Thank you Jenn!!
Beautiful tribute.
The Red Sox are doing so poorly that I may have to concede that New York has virtues after reading this encomium.
Be strong.