Wednesday, August 7, 2019

What did Donald Trump do today?

He consoled people, as only he can.

This morning, before brief visits to El Paso and Dayton, where gunmen have recently committed mass murder, Trump said that his words "bring people together." He also said that he would "stay above the political fray."

Also today, Trump insulted Beto O'Rourke, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, former Vice-President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and South Korea (but not North Korea). He attacked the "fake news" media, Rep. Joaquin Castro and his brother, presidential candidate Julian Castro, CNN, Fox News anchor Shepherd Smith, the Federal Reserve (all but one of whose governors he appointed), the New York Times and "Radical Left Democrats" in general. Trump also equated the so-called "antifa," or anti-fascist movement, with the white supremacist ideology that motivated the El Paso terrorist attack. 

(This is a partial list, as full transcripts of Trump's public speeches are not always immediately available.)

Trump's visits outraged many in both cities, especially in El Paso, where last Sunday's terrorist attack was committed by a white supremacist who used Trump's own language as a justification for murdering Latinos. Trump last visited El Paso in February for a campaign rally—he still owes the city's police department more than half a million dollars as a result—and denounced Mexicans as the reason for the city's supposedly high crime rate. Before the terrorist attack committed against Latinos, El Paso was one of the safest cities in the United States.

Why should I care about this?

  • Donald Trump was not actually the victim of these attacks.
  • Not being able to control your temper, or behave appropriately in social situations, is a sign of mental illness.