Trump trades on our entrenched racial hierarchy Laurelton: Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” Sadly, this is still true. The world watched Donald Trump lose to Kamala Harris during their debate. He refused to be interviewed by “60 Minutes” because he did not want to be fact-checked, was found guilty on 34 felony charges and jeopardized our national security by stealing top-secret documents and leaving them scattered all over his Mar-a-Lago home for anyone to pick up and read. On top of that, he separated children from their families and lost those children in bureaucratic red tape, was impeached twice and lied more than 40,000 times while increasing our national debt to more than $8 trillion. To America, it did not matter because his opponent was an upstanding, well-educated and highly qualified Black woman who had plans and policies that would have richly benefited us all. But many voting women whose reproductive rights Trump stripped away, Gold Star families he disrespected and whose funds he taxed, and Puerto Ricans he abandoned and allowed to be insulted all voted for him because, in spite of his heavy orange glow of inferiority and treachery, he gave them the false pride of being better than those whose pigmentation is darker than theirs. As Johnson stated, they did not see Trump picking their pockets, and in fact, many of them even emptied their own pockets by purchasing his tacky sneakers, autographed Bibles and virtual playing cards. Celestino P. Monclova The old guard Hicksville, L.I.: Regarding all the Monday morning quarterbacking in an effort to understand how Trump won, I submit that the answer is obvious: There was no way the cretins in this country were going to allow a Black woman into “their” White House. And why do so many Americans feel this way? Obvious answer again: Three decades of Fox News. Steven Malinofsky Imperfect idol Union, N.J.: In 2017, Trump referred to Andrew Jackson, the father of the “white republic” and a genocidal tyrant who spoke of recapturing or killing all those who he felt didn’t belong here, as “a reflection of myself”! Let’s look in the mirror and see that reflection! Lou Alt Stop the steal Manhattan: Full disclosure, I did not vote for Trump. I have mixed feelings about his win. I do see the silver lining in that Trump promises to deport all migrants who are criminals. Maybe our corrupt and criminally indicted Mayor Adams will take note. He created the migrant debacle with all the taxpayer giveaways: luxury hotels, free apartments and debit cards costing billions of dollars more than needed. If Adams was a migrant, he would be deported, too. Patricia Clark Attack on institutions Ashburn, Va.: It’s getting difficult to keep up with Trump, and he’s not even president yet! On Sunday, he demanded that the Senate surrender its constitutional privilege of confirming presidential appointments. Hey, didn’t Time magazine report that pre-World War II Germany started out with something like that? “[T]he Nazi leader disabled, then dismantled, the Weimar Republic. [He] exploited his [power] to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures” (Time, April 26, 2024). Maybe we should remember that George Santayana warned us that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Mike Barrett Swing-state sweepstakes Walden, N.Y.: So, Elon Musk ran a lottery where voters in battleground states could win one of many $1 million prizes. I guess we’ve become a country where buying votes is legal. Jake Milite Unhealthy choice Manhattan: Voicer Gary Stein made cogent points regarding Trump’s decisive election victory, including the specter of him once again surrounding himself with crazy, incompetent individuals. The very thought of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. making consequential medical decisions regarding the health care of our country is downright scary! Kennedy is a known anti-vaccine conspiracy theory nut! If Trump follows through on giving Kennedy a consequential position in his administration having anything to do with the nation’s health care system, the Senate must do its job and reject that nomination in short order! Hopefully, there are senators who have enough common sense to do so. Millions of Americans have been put in jeopardy by the mere suggestion that vaccines are dangerous! Trump’s potential appointment of RFK Jr. as some kind of “health czar” would be a catastrophic error! Gerard Rosenthal No big deal? Monroe, N.J.: I guess I missed the president-elect’s message to veterans and their families on Veterans Day. So much for his pride in being the future commander in chief of the military. Maybe he didn’t think there was enough of a photo-op to do so. Katherine A. Moloney Take on the trash Manhattan: “Containerization of NYC garbage begins” (op-ed, Nov. 11) is a good step toward solving NYC’s waste problems. Reducing garbage is even better. New York can solve many of its waste issues with two bills waiting for passage in Albany. The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will encourage manufacturers to limit the amount of packaging they use and get rid of toxins presently in packaging. Think of all those Amazon boxes in your mail room. The Bottle Bill will incentivize citizens to return their empties by increasing redemption to 10 cents and expanding the types of bottles that can be redeemed. More bottles out of the gutters and parks. My elected officials, state Sen. Robert Jackson and Assemblyman Al Taylor, have signed on as co-sponsors of both bills. Let’s get them passed in 2025 and make New York a leader in waste management. Lord knows we need good leadership right now. Eileen Leonard Tax reversal Whitestone: No wonder no one trusts the Democrats anymore. Gov. Hochul talks out of both sides of her mouth. First, she “pauses” congestion pricing, stating that she is not going to burden New Yorkers with an extra tax. Now she’s stating that she may bring it back with a 40% reduction. So, instead of $15 it’ll be $9. Who is she kidding? This is another Democratic scam and another Democratic lie. That’s why most people don’t trust the Democrats and showed that on Election Day. Hochul needs to stop bleeding New York taxpayers. Gene O’Brien Get schooled Glen Cove, L.I.: To Voicer Al D’Angelo: Just wondering if you were a teacher during the Vietnam era, because I was. I taught in a very large school in Queens, and there were five male teachers who were there to avoid the draft. Not one of us in any way tried to indoctrinate our students. We followed the curriculum like everybody else. Furthermore, except for me and one other person, the others left after the draft lottery became law. Certainly, these numbers would make it almost impossible to “indoctrinate” an entire generation of children and their children and grandchildren. That would have been quite an accomplishment. It would be helpful if people like D’Angelo would write about something they actually know about, but I guess that would severely limit their ability to write to the Daily News. Alan Rosengarten Subway surfacing Hillsdale, N.Y.: One thing that might reduce or prevent subway surfing is to design the top of subway cars with an inverted U or V roof so that no one can stand on it. Perhaps installing small, pointed spikes on the roofs of cars might discourage subway surfing as well. It’s worth a try if it prevents someone from losing a limb or their life. Phil Antico The long game Valley Stream, L.I.: It looks like the Aaron Rodgers era is over, but there may be a silver lining for the Jets. In just 13 short years, Jordan Love will turn 39 and I’m sure the Packers will be more than happy to do another trade. I’m positive the third time will be the charm. Allan Canino Urgent matters Omaha: From a die-hard Yankees fan all the way back to 1959: Pass on signing Juan Soto and properly address the more pressing needs on this roster. Tom Dahulick