America’s monster-in-chief has tried to weaponize yet another tragedy for his own benefit, after seven people were killed, and 48 injured, in two terrorist attacks in London yesterday. The attacks took place the night before Ariana Grande’s benefit concert for victims of the bombing at her Manchester show on May 22, 2017.
In response to hearing about the attacks, Trump began by underhandedly suggesting that events like these are the reason we need an unconstitutional Muslim ban. After retweeting an update on the attack from Drudge Report – yes, Drudge Report – he followed up with the below:
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
Not even 12 hours later, he then tried to use the attacks to score petty points against “political correctness” (translation: decency) and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London:
We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don’t get smart it will only get worse
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is “no reason to be alarmed!”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
Twelve minutes later, he tried to use these deaths to justify gun rights:
Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
But don’t worry, he also added this tweet in the middle, so that we all know he’s totally not acting like a calculating, gloating oaf:
Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there – WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
For comparison’s sake, in case you forgot what a halfway decent person does in elected office, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted the below in both French and English:
Please read my statement on the terrorist attack last night in London, which claimed the life of a Canadian: https://t.co/RZeZfgtslU
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 4, 2017
This is hardly the first time that Trump has wielded other people’s tragedies as a form of self-congratulation. Back in June, he responded to the murder of 49Â people at Pulse, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando that was hosting a Latinx night, with the below tweet:
Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
50 people dead, and this man tweeted “appreciate the congrats.” Seven people dead, and he tweets “Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now?”
Now, Trump tweets racist, sexist, and conspiracy-theory content all the time. He posts fake crime data to justify his racism, blames the Chinese for inventing climate change, and treats pretty much every news event as evidence that he should be allowed to bomb, swindle, or discriminate against someone. It’s undeniably gross – and given his new position of power, deadly to many people – whenever, and for whatever reason, he does this. But when the streams of ignorance come a-tweeting at 3AM, unprovoked, it’s easy for me to think this isn’t calculating and narcissistic. It just sounds uninformed and paranoid.
But when this sort of stuff is clearly his first, instinctive response to something truly awful? When, instead of horror, he not only feels but expresses smug, self-righteous glee? That’s what sends a real, genuine chill down my spine. This man cannot, even when faced with the deaths of his fellow human beings, put the needs and feelings of others before his own for the space of a single tweet. Not just taxes, not just charities, but human fucking suffering itself is a tool to be used for his own gain and self-promotion.
No one deserves to have the deaths and injuries of their loved ones commodified and weaponized by this man, whether it’s in Syria, London, or Chicago. On behalf of all U.S. voters, I’m ashamed and I’m sorry.
(Via Twitter; image via Shutterstock)
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