Trump attends NYPD officer’s wake as he highlights crime on the campaign trail

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday is paying his respects to the NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, who was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop this week, attending his wake in Massapequa on Long Island.

The solemnity of the day was emphasized by an overcast sky and chilling rain as police officers, many of whom lined nearby streets filled with memorial wreaths and American flags, paid their respects to their fallen colleague.

On Monday, Officer Diller approached an illegally parked vehicle with another officer and asked the two suspects, Lindy Jones and Guy Rivera, to move their car, according to police. Officials say the two men refused to roll down their windows, and instead of showing their hands as requested, Riviera shot Diller.

Diller was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Earlier Thursday, 34-year-old Rivera was charged with murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. His arraignment timing is currently unknown as he remains hospitalized at Jamaica Hospital where he is being treated for a gunshot wound to the back after Diller’s partner shot him after he fired his weapon.

Jones, 41, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced firearm. During a court appearance on Wednesday, prosecutors highlighted Jones’ violent history and missing court dates in arguing for holding him without bail.

Judge Maria Gonzalez agreed Jones poses a flight risk and remanded him.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz attended the arraignment in the courtroom packed with police officers, including Chief of Patrol John Chell.

Both men have a lengthy criminal history. Jones, who has had 14 prior arrests including attempted murder and robbery, was out on bail in connection to a separate crime, police records indicate. Rivera was previously arrested by the NYPD 21 times, according to police records.

On Tuesday, Trump took to his social media platform to mourn the death of Diller and rail against the alleged shooter, highlighting his prior arrests and claiming that he “NEVER should have been let back out on the streets.”

Trump also spoke by phone with the officer’s family while they were at a funeral home on Tuesday.

Trump’s appearance also comes on the same day as President Joe Biden’s fundraiser in New York, which was planned well in advance of Thursday’s wake. At the fundraiser, Biden will be joined by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The event is expected to raise a “historic” sum for a single event with more than $25 million, according to the Biden campaign.

“President Trump will be honoring the life and legacy of Officer Diller, and paying respects to his family, friends, and the NYPD for their terrible loss,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to ABC News. “Meanwhile, the Three Stooges — Biden, Obama, and Clinton — will be at a glitzy fundraiser in the city with their elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors.”

Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said that Biden did call to send his condolences over the death of Officer Diller.

“I received a call from the president a few moments ago, sending his condolences,” Mayor Adams said. “We relay those condolences to the family. We are truly impacted by the loss. We want to continue to provide the safety to the city that it deserves.”

The White House says that the President offered Mayor Adams, the city of New York, and the New York Police Department his support in the wake of the tragedy.

The former president, who is spending time away from the campaign trail, was in New York earlier this week for a court hearing in his New York criminal trial involving hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

On the campaign trail, Trump has frequently accused prosecutors of focusing on going after him rather than attempting to combat violent crime in the city. He has used the officer’s death to emphasize this point as he rails against what he calls “record crime” in New York City.

“This state is losing tremendous prestige; it’s losing its companies; it’s losing its people,” Trump said during a news conference earlier this week after his court appearance in New York as he railed against the state’s Attorney General Letitia James. “They’re fleeing, and violent crime is flourishing, and we can’t have that.”

According to the NYPD’s citywide crime statistic released this month for the month of February, “incidents of shootings, murder, and other bellwether crimes in New York City were markedly reduced again in February compared to the same month last year.”

The department went on to report that overall crime throughout the five boroughs “continued its downward trajectory, dipping another 1.1%.”

However, this week, New York police officials focused on the handling of crime by local politicians, slamming them for not doing enough to combat violent crime in the area, and telling them not to show up to Diller’s memorials.

“The City Council and many prosecutors are complicit in this utter destruction of civilized society,” the Sergeants Benevolent Association said in a letter to its members. “I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity. The sad reality is we don’t want them there.”