'View' co-host credits Trump for attending funeral of NYPD officer while Biden fundraises with celebrities
"The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin admitted that former President Trump understood what "resonated" with middle America better than President Biden does, as the two presidential nominees are slated to attend very different events Thursday in New York City.
Trump is expected to attend the wake for slain New York Police Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed by a career criminal during a traffic stop on Monday.
Meanhile, President Biden will be hosting a glitzy fundraising event at Radio Music Hall on Thursday that will be attended by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as A-list celebrities.
Farah Griffin was asked to comment on the "optics" behind these decisions during an appearance on CNN Thursday morning. The political commentator conceded that it would benefit Trump with the average American voter.
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"Donald Trump, the master spinner, is going to say, ‘You, elites in New York with celebrities are raising these high-dollar donor money, while I‘m in New York to honor a fallen New York police department officer, who was killed by somebody who‘d been arrested on 21 times previously.’ To the average American, the Trump-curious voter, this is what they want to see from him," Farah Griffin remarked.
Farah Griffin, a former Trump aide, said the decision to attend the fallen officer's funeral will also serve as "a distraction" from his Georgia election interference hearing today.
"I have to say Donald Trump is getting smarter. This is his third time running now, he knows what he‘s doing in a way that there‘s a sophistication that wasn‘t there. And I do think this works," she continued.
Trump was using the same "playbook" he used for his 2016 campaign, she claimed, and this move would resonate with "what middle America actually cares about."
"He‘s always had his finger on the pulse of what middle America actually cares about. A slain officer who the person killed him shouldn‘t have been out, that’s something that resonates more than a bunch of celebrities at Radio City Music Hall," Farah Griffin concluded.
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Officer Diller, 31, a father to a one-year-old boy, was killed Monday after Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire and killed him during a routine traffic stop. Both the driver of the vehicle and Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
A Trump spokesperson said Wednesday that the former president was invited to attend the wake.
"President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death," Karoline Leavitt, the former commander-in-chief’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday shared by The New York Post.
Meanwhile, President Biden will be hosting a star-studded fundraising extravaganza in NYC attended by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. A conversation between the three Democratic presidents will be moderated by late night TV talk show host Stephen Colbert. The event will also feature musical performances by Lizzo, Queen Latifah, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.