At this point, we have seen our fair share of anti-Trump posts during his presidency. We realize, of course, that a lot of President Donald Trump backlash is driven by emotion. However, a lot of the resistance Trump is met with has been valid and important for Americans to take note of and discuss.
This past week we came across one anti-Trump post that we found especially troubling and disappointing.
A tweet posted by Billy Eichner, a popular American comedian, actor and writer, shed light on the fact that Trump has yet to meet with a single victim of Hurricane Harvey. The tweet was accompanied by four photos. One of former President Barack Obama at a disaster site hugging an elderly woman while she weeps; one of former President Bill Clinton at a disaster site being kissed on the cheek by two small children he is holding; one of former President George W. Bush at a disaster site hugging a mother and her child; and lastly, one of Trump at a disaster site speaking from the top of a large car through a microphone, while shamelessly using the outing as a chance to promote his USA baseball caps. Notice any inconsistencies?
The tweet called Trump “barely human” and while that might be a bit extreme, his actions, or lack thereof, during the course of the Harvey disaster have definitely highlighted his lack of empathy and compassion.
Our president has yet to meet with any victim of the storm. Not a single one. No handshakes, no comforting words, no hugs. Not even an attempt to show his constituents he cares about their well-being.
We realize there is little you can do when a disaster strikes, especially one of this caliber. Raising funds to repair damage is helpful, but impersonal. That is why customarily, in addition to raising funds and sending relief volunteers, world leaders do what they can to make sure victims know the country cares — that their president cares. For some reason, Trump didn’t get this memo.
What makes us even more disappointed in our commander in chief is that he seems to be using the disaster as an opportunity to promote the sales of his new baseball caps.
On his campaign website, Trump recently started to sell a variety of baseball caps that say “USA” on the front of them. All of the money made from the sales of these hats will be going toward his re-election campaign. So far at every event Trump has appeared at concerning Harvey, he has been sporting one of these hats. Since a baseball cap isn’t typically paired with a suit and tie, one can only assume he is wearing them for a reason — free advertising.
Trump has clearly and blatantly been extorting this horrific event as a way to make money for himself. Perhaps we could let it slide if at least some of the money he makes from hat sales were going to a good place like a disaster relief fund. Instead, the money will go straight into the pockets of the multibillionaire as he vies for another attempt to disgrace our country.
This column does not call into question Trump’s policy. It does not call into question his campaign strategy or his attempts to raise money. What it does call into question is his character.
Trump’s display throughout the Harvey disaster has made us lose what little respect we had left for our president. His actions have been nothing but lazy, selfish and truly shameful.
Trump is not “barely human,” as Eichner suggested. Trump is certainly a human. Just not a very good one.
