Former President Donald Trump will attend the aftermath of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, while President Joe Biden will simultaneously host a lavish fundraiser at New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall.
On Monday, Officer Diller was shot and killed in Queens during a routine traffic stop.
Gruesome footage of the incident shows the officer screaming in pain as he died. The three-year veteran of the force is survived by a wife and one-year-old son.
On Wednesday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed rumors that Trump planned to attend Thursday’s wake at Massapequa Funeral Home in New York.
Biden, on the other hand, will spend his evening with donors at a fundraiser with guests including former Democratic presidents Clinton and Obama, as well as an array of famous musical entertainers.
On Wednesday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed rumors that Trump planned to attend Thursday’s wake at the Massapequa Funeral Home in New York.
Guy Rivera, 34, the man believed to have fired the shot that killed Diller, had been arrested 21 times before Monday’s incident, including for nine felonies.
Before the funeral, thousands of NYPD officers were seen gathering at the Massapequa funeral home to witness the arrival of Diller’s body.
Also on Thursday, Biden will fly into the Big Apple for an extremely high-profile fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall.
The event will feature musical talent such as Lizzo, Queen Latifah and Ben Platt. Stephen Colbert will also moderate a conversation between Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz will also be on site to take portraits of donors alongside the three Democratic presidents.
The Midtown Manhattan event will be the largest fundraising event of this cycle for the Biden campaign so far.
With both Biden and Trump officially clinching their respective parties’ nominations in recent weeks, the Biden campaign is full steam ahead as the incumbent president faces a tough reelection bid.
The 2020 rivals are within a few points of each other in the polls, with the lead in most swing states currently going to Trump.
Biden’s supporters are beginning to publicly share their concerns that his re-election chances are fragile and could be seriously jeopardized by third-party candidates like RFK Jr.
But for now, Biden has a significant fundraising advantage over his opponent. The Democratic National Committee reports nearly $100 million in the bank — more than double what the RNC reports.
With both Biden and Trump officially clinching their respective parties’ nominations in recent weeks, the Biden campaign is full steam ahead as the incumbent president faces a tough re-election bid.
On Monday, Officer Diller was shot and killed in Queens during a routine traffic stop. He leaves behind a wife and one-year-old son.
Thousands of law enforcement officers observed the arrival of Diller’s body at the upstate New York funeral home where his service will be held Thursday.
Trump, who has always emphasized law and order as a key tenet of his political platform, is an outspoken supporter of the NYPD and takes a particularly tough stance against criminals who kill or otherwise harm law enforcement officers.
At the 2019 Joint Major County Sheriffs and Major Cities Chiefs Association Conference: “In my administration, we firmly believe that criminals who kill officers should receive the death penalty.”
Following Diller’s tragic murder, New York City Mayor Eric Adams labeled the shooting a “senseless act of violence.”
“I can’t say it any clearer: It’s the good guys versus the bad guys, and these bad guys are violent,” added Adams, a former cop.
After Rivera’s arrest, it emerged that he has a lengthy criminal history, including first-degree robbery, illegal possession of weapons and assault.