Every president will at some point have to deal with a national tragedy and there’s a tried-and-tested playbook on how to respond. First comes the sympathy for the families affected, then an acknowledgment of the sadness, followed by a promise to investigate the incident and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
But, in the immediate wake of the Jan. 30 DC crash, Donald Trump tore up that routine and tossed it into the trash. His first move was to let us all know that the crash would never have happened if he’d been piloting the Black Hawk helicopter, pointing out that the pilot could have gone “up or down, or turn” to avoid the airliner. Very helpful!
He then blamed diversity policies for the crash, a stance that left even some of his allies scratching their heads in confusion. Widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum followed, but Ol’ Donny boy isn’t backing down or apologizing. Glaring up from the hole he’s landed himself in, he promptly grabbed a shovel and started digging.
When facing questions from reporters at the White House, Trump was asked if he’d spoken to the families of the deceased, to which he said “I don’t want to comment on that” (so we’ll take that as a “no”). He was then asked if he planned to visit the crash site, a trip that would take mere minutes from the White House by helicopter. Trump sarcastically responded: “What’s ‘the site?’ The water? You want me to go swimming?”
Needless to say, adolescent-level sarcasm isn’t what people want in the wake of a tragedy that’s claimed 67 lives. The general reaction was disgust, with many of Trump’s usual cheerleaders somewhat quieter than usual. Over on X he was called a “moron,” “unhinged,” and that he “doesn’t give a f**k” about the victims.
The best defense die-hard MAGAs could muster was to claim that the reporter was trying to snare him with a “stupid” gotcha question. But, well, “Do you have a plan to visit the site?” feels like a pretty standard question given the situation.
Regardless, Trump is now indeed planning to visit the crash site. Word is that he won’t have to swim because officials are preparing some kind of fantastic new technology that’ll allow Trump to travel across the surface of the water without plunging into it. They’re calling it a “boat,” and doubtless the principles behind it will have to be carefully and repeatedly explained to Trump before he sets foot aboard this crazy new contraption.
Right now the response to this tragedy has been a huge series of own goals for Trump. All he had to do was express even basic sympathy for those involved, something most presidents would be able to do in their sleep. But, as of writing, Trump has offended the victims’ families, attempted to blame this crash on minorities for political gain, and used a press conference about it as an opportunity to make sarcastic jokes.
In a way, this almost feels like a challenge. Okay, Trump is going to say wildly insensitive things, but what is anyone going to actually do about it? The Democrats are going to uselessly bleat about decorum, everyone is going to be low-key annoyed with him, and the best we can muster is serving up some rough chuckles. Meanwhile, he stays in the White House smugly knowing he can do whatever the hell he wants. All of which is to say this is going to be a long four years.
Published: Jan 31, 2025 06:54 am