Trump Threatens NYC Funding Over Progressive Candidate; Silence on Foreign Aid
Trump's penchant for weaponizing federal funds is well-documented (ask hurricane-hit Puerto Rico about his administration's antics). The idea he'd threaten New York City over a local election — ostensibly to support fellow Republican Lee Zeldin or even a conservative Democrat like Curtis Sliwa — is par for his course, a domestic strong-arming tactic. This is the same former President who,
according to OpenSecrets.org data, oversaw approval of significant military aid packages to Israel, including $3.8 billion annually, without any public hand-wringing over leveraging these funds for domestic political wins. Indeed, he proudly moved the US embassy to Jerusalem as a political gesture. One might wonder: where was this selective outrage, this sudden concern for funding discretion, when
billions flowed to other nations, often with dubious human rights records? Apparently, civic responsibility and federal fiscal prudence only activate when a progressive candidate threatens the status quo in a major American city, never when aiding governments with widely documented human rights abuses. The silence itself is deafening.