This morning an Amtrak train derailed in DuPont, Washington. It was traveling 80 miles an hour when its 13 cars
plummeted from the highway overpass directly onto rush hour traffic. Six people have been reported dead, and 80 people have been taken to the hospital for various injuries. The train was bound for Portland and this was actually its first ride on the new route.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/wsdot_tacoma/status/942782934502670337]]
Shortly afterwards, President Trump responded on Twitter, in his typical narcissistic, tone-deaf manner. In his Tweet, he did not send any condolences to the people who were injured or acknowledge the tragic loss of life. Instead, he pitched his new infrastructure plan, and complained about how much money was spent "in the Middle East."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/942827072824672262]]
"The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!"
This isn't the first time
Donald Trump has
botched a response to a tragedy. When 49 people were killed in a shooting at Orlando nightclub, he tweeted, "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism." When a terrorist ran over and killed eight people in New York City, he tweeted, "The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty." When tragedies happened in previous administrations, Presidents sent thoughts and prayers. Trump's first thought seems to be, "How can this benefit me?"
Many people were furious over the President's response. It's pretty hypocritical to place politics over people, after refusing to discuss gun control after the Las Vegas massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. Apparently, there's never a good time to talk about gun control, but there's always time to talk about infrastructure.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/EklofJoel/status/942834562760978432]]
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/942828822260482048]]
One Twitter user pointed out that "this train route just got a $181 million upgrade & Trump’s proposed budget would have slashed $630 million in subsidies for long-distance Amtrak routes." Where was the care for infrastructure then?
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/brianklaas/status/942835965911097345]]
What's more, Trump's complaint about "crumbling" infrastructure doesn't even make sense. As previously mentioned, these were brand new tracks, and the train was on its inaugural run.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AlexRozierK5/status/942810281645768704]]
Reports suggest the accident happened because the train was going too fast on a new track, not because of infrastructure problems. As one person replied, "These were brand new train tracks, but maybe if we weren't giving tax breaks to millionaires/billionaires, we could actually fund infrastructure."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/DaniAndi4/status/942869954650447872]]
Ten minutes later, President Trump tweeted again, sending thoughts and prayers and thanking the First Responders - basically, what he should have written the first time. Either he realized he made a mistake, or someone on his team stole his phone while he was watching Fox and Friends.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/942829676699021312]]
All presidents are guilty of playing politics, but Trump's priorities are seriously misplaced. As CNN Reporter Jeremy Diamond described it: "First, use the train accident to call attention to your infrastructure proposals. Second, express concern for the victims."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JDiamond1/status/942830495414530050]]
Remember when Trump was running for president and said if he won he would become "so presidential you will be so bored"? When is that
going to happen exactly?
