In midst of hurricane crisis, Donald Trump resorts to cronyism antics

| 4:47 pm EDT August 27, 2017
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The United States is in the midst of a national emergency, thanks to the deadly flooding taking place in Houston and other parts of Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The occasion calls for serious leadership and thorough efforts at federal, state, and local levels. It also calls for the President of the United States to set an example by acting in a caring and compassionate manner. Unfortunately, we don’t have a President. We have a Trump.

So when Donald Trump woke up this morning, with flooding overtaking cities and people’s lives hanging in the balance, the first thing he did was to log onto Twitter so he could plug his friend’s book. After controversial Sheriff David A. Clarke tweeted a link to his new book, Trump retweeted it and added “A great book by a great guy, highly recommended!”

Not only was this a crass and inappropriately tone-deaf move on the part of Donald Trump, it may not have even been legal. He used the power of his office to steer business to one book author over others, and more vitally, to one book reseller over its competitors. This isn’t the first time, or the tenth, in which Trump has misused his office in this kind of manner. But from there he went on to find even more embarrassing ways to act inappropriately.

Donald Trump also used his Twitter account to announce a trip he’ll be taking to Texas to survey the Hurricane Harvey damage. But in the same breath he added that his Texas trip will also take him to Missouri, and he went on to brag about having won the state in the 2016 election, while attacking a Democratic Senator from that state. Trump’s response today to the hurricane and flooding couldn’t be any more inappropriate if he tried. If you find Palmer Report valuable, make a donation.