Donald Trump loves to criticize others, but it’s always a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of criticism. The president is always ready to call out other world leaders for their mistakes, but never quite ready to be held accountable for his own.
While it’s great that Trump wants to help an American prisoner held in another country who insists he’s done nothing wrong, there are also a few things to understand around Pastor Andrew Brunson.
‘Brunson, 50, is originally from North Carolina and has lived in Turkey for more than two decades. He was swept up by Turkish authorities along with journalists, activists, military officers and others in a government crackdown following a failed military coup attempt in 2016…
‘Brunson was released from prison on Wednesday and placed on house arrest, and forbidden to leave Turkey. Pence called that move a “welcome first step” but “not good enough,” and called on “believers” to pray for Brunson’s release.’
What is most ironic about Trump’s tweet is the idea of this president and his administration speaking about religious freedom considering Trump’s calls to ban Muslims from traveling to the United States and the travel ban he signed by executive order to do just that. Twice, his bill had to be struck down by federal judges because of the specific religious freedom laws Trump violated.
Another contradiction is that Trump invited Turkish President Erdogan to the White House and spoke in glowing terms about him amidst massive protest and backlash because of Erdogan’s crimes against humanity in his own country. While he was in the U.S., his guards attacked journalists and protesters and Trump stayed completely silent about that, instead praising him and talking about what a great leader he is.
Twitter was also not happy with Trump’s tweets. Read some of their comments below:
Featured image via Flikr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license
