Trump and New York City

To make it in New York City can be a long, strange trip. At times, the grass seems greener on the other side. Sometimes, the countryside beckons. But those who escape the rigors of city life may eventually bemoan the mundaneness of rural living: the lack of late-night food and grocery options; the dearth of pedestrian life; the isolation of car culture and wide-open spaces.

New York City — with its bustling, diverse streets and historic institutions — offers to its residents an intangible energy, a creative spirit, a camaraderie. And as such it is unique in the United States. It is the antidote to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where wide open spaces conduce a certain solitude. In New York, there is nowhere to escape the company of other New Yorkers.

New York City has given so much to the United States; it has created enormous wealth and welcomed to its shores millions of immigrants who have suffused through the nation and enriched it. In their moment of need, the citizens of New York City rightfully expect assistance from the federal government. Gerald Ford eventually relented and loaned money to the city during its debt crisis. So far, Mr. Trump has sat on his hands while New York City faces unimaginable financial cataclysm; I hope Mr. Trump will relent, as well.