Donald Trump crassly yells “Good Luck” at those facing Hurricane Harvey, then heads out on vacation

| 5:02 pm EDT August 25, 2017
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If you’re in danger of being in the path of Hurricane Harvey this weekend, Donald Trump has a message for you: “Good luck.” Those were the actual words he spoke today when he was asked about the matter by a reporter. Moments later Trump promptly boarded a helicopter and headed out on vacation for the weekend, marking one of his most visibly tone-deaf moments in a presidency that has largely consisted of tone-deaf moments.

Donald Trump was walking to Marine One when a reporter shouted “Do you have a message for the people of Texas?” Trump responded by giving a thumbs up, then saying “Good luck everybody” followed by what may have been “They’re going to be safe” followed by yet another “Good luck everybody, good luck.” He then pumped his fist. You can watch the video here:

Trump’s “Good luck” message, in which he made no effort to comfort anyone facing the storm, and displayed no awareness that he’s in charge of agencies like FEMA that are supposed to be helping people in these kinds of situations, has been widely criticized. It was his second such crass comment in a matter of days, after he uttered “That’s too bad” in response to the news that the USS John McCain had a collision which left ten soldiers missing (since presumed dead) and five soldiers injured. And of course this comes on the heels of Trump’s “many sides” debacle in which his own white supremacist supporters carried out a deadly terrorist attack, and he tried to place part of the blame on the victims.

These incidents are quickly cementing the longtime assertions from Trump’s detractors, who have accused him of being crassly uncaring. But today’s incident pointed to perhaps an additional problem: even in easy moments where he could have spoken a few words that made him look like he cares, he can’t even figure out how to fake it. Oh, and if you do need help in the hurricane’s aftermath, too bad, he’ll be on vacation.