Trump Wrote a Letter to a Grieving Mother. She Then Pointed Out Who Had Not Contacted Her.

Earlier this week, as we covered here, President Trump sounded off about yet another spasm of violent crime in our nation's capital. A former member of his DOGE team was badly beaten and bloodied while intervening to stop an attempted carjacking in progress. Channeling the anger and frustration of many Americans -- and more Washingtonians than you might think -- Trump threatened to federalize law enforcement duties within the District if DC's deep blue leadership can't "get its act together, and quickly." Trump said that teenaged assailants should be charged and tried as adults, in order to put an end to the perverse incentives that have led gangs to outsource violence to minors, while empowering and emboldening minor criminals to act with relative impunity. We've written about a number of such outrages over the years, and they continue to pile up. The status quo is failing, and this is yet another example of that phenomenon (here is an account from the young man's friend, which uses his colorful and highly-publicized nickname, with President Trump's Truth Social post beneath it):

My friend Big Balls (@as400495) is a hero. I took this photo after Edward protected a young woman from an attempted carjacking by 8 thugs near Dupont Circle. Violence like this in the heart of DC is completely unacceptable. https://t.co/ELShlkXYaS
— Marko Elez (@marko_elez) August 5, 2025

This is ABC News' report on the incident:

Two 15-year-old suspects have been arrested in connection with an attempted unarmed carjacking in Washington, D.C., by a group of perpetrators in which a 19-year-old man, identified by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, was assaulted, according to police. The victim who was assaulted was Edward Coristine, according to an incident report provided by the Metropolitan Police Department. Coristine worked under Musk at DOGE until June, when Musk left the Trump administration, sources familiar with Coristine's employment told ABC News. The attempted carjacking unfolded early Sunday in northwest Washington, D.C., according to a police statement. Coristine and a woman were standing next to their car on Swann Street, several blocks from Logan Circle, when they were allegedly accosted by the multiple suspects, according to police.

Matt included other disturbing details and allegations about this incident in his post about it. Mr. Coristine should be commended for his valor. Thank God he's alive. Sadly, the victim of another recent incident was not so fortunate. A sickening yet routine atrocity in our nation's capital:

A 21-year-old congressional intern was shot Monday night after getting caught in targeted gunfire in Northwest Washington, D.C., police said. Police and congressional officials identified the victim as Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, of Granby, Massachusetts, who died Tuesday after being shot near the intersection of 7th and M Street. Investigators have recovered the suspect vehicle and stated that while the shooting was targeted, Tarpinian-Jachym was not among the intended victims. Tarpinian-Jachym, who had been serving as an intern for Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) since June, was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was majoring in finance with a minor in political science. According to D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, the incident began with an altercation between two groups that escalated into gunfire in the 1200 block of Seventh Street, Northwest.

Here is letter President Trump sent to the parents of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym yesterday after the murder of their son, a 21-year-old senior at UMass-Amherst. He was a summer aide to Rep. Ron Estes, R-KS, shot to death in a volley of shots aimed at somebody else in DC on July 1. MA… pic.twitter.com/mVNk3rPtkZ
— Howie Carr (@HowieCarrShow) July 18, 2025

Dear Tamara and Robert,
Melania and I are devastated by the senseless act of violence that took your beloved son Eric Tarpinian-Jachym from us, and we are heartbroken for your entire family. While we may never fully understand the impact that Eric has had during his meaningful life, we know he will be remembered for his kindness, faithfulness, and devotion to your family and his many friends. He will also be remembered for his commitment to our country. I know how proud Congressman Estes was to have Eric represent his office, the people of Kansas’ Fourth Congressional District, and our Nation.”
Eric will be held in my heart, and I promise to never forget or forgive the terrible act that took him from us. Please know that my Administration will not stop fighting to clean up our streets and ensure law and order. May God hold Eric in His eternal love and care and provide you and your other incredible children, Angela and Jeremy, with abiding peace and unending strength.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Trump

She reflected on this gesture telling local radio host Howie Carr, "it just made me feel so good...People call [Trump] a monster, but he’s not. He’s such a human. He is so kind to kids. I just couldn’t believe that he did this.” According to the Boston Herald, she also noted who she hadn't heard from by the time she received the president's note of condolence:

His mother said that there has been silence from the “other side.” She pointed out how she has not received a call from the governor in the aftermath of her son’s death...“I was hurt,” she said. “It felt like someone took a dagger into my heart, put it in and twisted it.” Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym added that she also hasn’t heard from Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey...“It felt like he worked for a Republican, they didn’t care,” the mother said. “I don’t care who you work for. When you take a job, sometimes, you might not like your boss, but you take the job.” “I felt this was a partisan issue,” she said. “If he worked for a Dem, that call would have been made. That’s my opinion, no one can take that away from me.” When asked whether she would still welcome a call from Healey, Warren and Markey, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym responded, “You know? My son is already buried. He died July 1. Today is July 18. No. … The people in Massachusetts showed their true colors.”

Eric was their constituent. He was gunned down while working on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress. None of these Massachusetts statewide office-holders bothered to reach out to the family before Trump did (this is reminscent of Sen. Chris Van Hollen saying nothing to the grieving family of a Maryland citizen who was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant, while making a great show of championing the case of a different criminal illegal immigrant who'd lived in his state). The governor's office later said that they subsequently did so. In more recent days, Senator Warren did find the time to travel to help boost New York City's virulently anti-police Communist mayoral candidate, and to give interviews like this:

They really have no answer to the problem of demonizing and chasing away the rich while relying on the rich as their piggybank for all of their pet projects and initiatives. https://t.co/nNVDGcyfyX
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 6, 2025

As for the governor, I'll leave you with this: