After the way Donald Trump pathetically failed to provide any sort of adequate hurricane relief and leadership to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, the president should have been banned from all relief efforts. Unfortunately, we keep giving Trump another chance.
Today, Trump is in North Carolina lending a (tiny) hand to Hurricane Florence victims, and his behavior has pretty much left everyone wishing he had never come in the first place. Not only did Trump crack jokes during the press conference, but his interactions with the hurricane victims were even worse.
When Trump was handing out meals to the victims, he was actually caught making extremely insensitive comments, cheerfully telling the victims to “have a good time.” It doesn’t take a genius IQ to know that this is NOT something that you should say to someone who has just lost everything they owned, perhaps even loved ones.
Footage of Trump’s hurricane “aid” was aired on MSNBC, and his behavior actually made reporters gasp. The footage captured Trump giving two meals to a hurricane victim in a car, saying “Got it? Have a good time” — as if they were at a party! One MSNBC reporter was so shocked that she gasped off camera, “I think he just said have a good time!” You can hear her reaction below:
But that’s far from the only way Trump has disrespected the victims. Shortly after this incident, Trump actually joked with a man whose property was in ruins and had someone else’s boat wash up on his property. Trump asked the older man, “Is this your boat?” When the man told him that the yacht was not his, Trump made this insensitive comment:
At least you got a nice boat out of the deal.”
Trump to a homeowner in New Bern, NC, who had a yacht wash up in his backyard: “At least you got a nice boat out of the deal.” pic.twitter.com/twtT3it8ul
— Mark Landler (@MarkLandler) September 19, 2018
Reactions to this moment have been a combination of shock, disgust, and disbelief.
[wiping tears and vomit from beard]
sure am glad President Stable Genius is finally visiting the disaster sites https://t.co/YO5g9cu3P8— Andrew 🌹🇺🇸🌹 (@infuzi0n) September 19, 2018
From the pool report, President Trump tells a man who had a boat wash up on his property: “At least you got a nice boat out of the deal.” #HurricaneFlorence pic.twitter.com/4m6f2gZnyp
— Lauren Horsch (@LaurenHorsch) September 19, 2018
Trump is so extremely disconnected from the devastation and suffering of the people in North Carolina that he actually had the nerve to ask about the site of his golf course. Los Angeles Times editor Jackie Calmes outed Trump on Twitter for this, stating that Trump asked an official about Lake Norman, where Trump has a golf course. After Trump was assured the lake was fine, this is what Trump said:
I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.”
WH pool report says as Trump was briefed in NC on hurricane damage, he asked an official, “How is Lake Norman doing?”
Told it was fine, he said, “I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.”
There is a Trump National Golf Club on its shores, near Charlotte.— Jackie Calmes (@jackiekcalmes) September 19, 2018
Hurricane Florence has killed dozens of people and ravaged the state — yet THIS is how Trump responds. Lord help us all.
Featured image via screen capture
