Donald Trump is an asshole
Once upon a time in America, a party would correct its president, let him know something he said was out of line, and the president might try to clean it up. With this administration, all that has gone by the wayside, with a Supreme Court justice or two and other federal judge appointments worth allowing a vile person to occupy the White House.
The latest tweet from Donald Trump apparently is intended to convey the message that the residents of Puerto Rico, a United States territory consisting of United States citizens, are lying about the suffering they have endured in order to make him look bad. He tweeted: “3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000…”
Should anyone doubt what his message was, the ellipsis signaled that he had more to tweet, and a few minutes later, added this: “…..This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!”
Donald Trump literally is arguing that the Democrats are to blame. This is disgusting and low, even for a man who seemingly has no lower bounds. Will any of the feckless Republicans speak out or rebuke this? Likely not, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders will spew some garbage and defend it next time she has a presser. To use 3000 dead in our nation for political cheap shots is beyond the pale, even for this unpresidential inhabitant of the White House. In the not too distant past, his party would push back, but they are all compromised it would appear, and so his dangerous rhetoric goes unchecked.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.