Donald Trump goes berserk as Trump Tower literally catches on fire
Trump Tower was literally on fire this afternoon, as a blaze broke out on the 50th floor. As this scene was playing out, Donald Trump seemed intent on metaphorically setting himself ablaze, first with a ridiculous tweet about the Trump Tower fire, and then with an utterly deranged defense of one of his most corrupt underlings.
At 6:42pm eastern time, after it had been reported that one person was seriously injured (and later died) in the Trump Tower fire, Donald Trump tweeted this: “Fire at Trump Tower is out. Very confined (well built building). Firemen (and women) did a great job. THANK YOU!” It’s unclear if he knew at the time that someone had been injured, but either way, judging from the reaction on Twitter, it didn’t play well that he was using the incident as an opportunity to brag about how his building was constructed. There was also quite a bit of consternation over his “Firemen (and women)” remark, with some asking if perhaps he didn’t know the word “firefighters.” Then it got worse.
Just over an hour later, Trump decided it was time to begin defending his embattled EPA boss Scott Pruitt: “While Security spending was somewhat more than his predecessor, Scott Pruitt has received death threats because of his bold actions at EPA. Record clean Air & Water while saving USA Billions of Dollars. Rent was about market rate, travel expenses OK. Scott is doing a great job!” We strongly condemn any death threats made against any government official, but apart from the EPA’s own claims, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that Pruitt’s safety is being threatened.
As for the “market rate” claim, it’s difficult to imagine that Donald Trump honestly believe $50 per night is the going rate for lodging in Washington DC, as he runs a hotel there whose current nightly rate is $920 per night, and Expedia reveals that the going rate for DC hotels is in the $400 to $1000 range. Perhaps the real question is why Trump is doubling down on defending Scott Pruitt of all people, in a fight he can’t win. By the way, the Trump Tower fire victim has since died according to the Boston Globe, yet hours later, Donald Trump still has yet to acknowledge it.
