Yet another Trump era natural disaster has unfolded in the United States this week. A massive earthquake with an estimated 7.0 magnitude rocked the Anchorage, Alaska, region early Friday. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but there was immediately apparent widespread structural damage. President Donald Trump has faced criticism over his handling of natural disasters in the past, but that hardly stopped him from tweeting while in Argentina for the G20 summit of world leaders:
‘To the Great people of Alaska. You have been hit hard by a “big one.” Please follow the directions of the highly trained professionals who are there to help you. Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL!’
Great; the people of Alaska must be very reassured that the guy who claimed thousands of deaths from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were “fake news” announced they’d been hit hard by a “big one.”
More likely, this disaster provided yet another opportunity for the president to push his ego. The wound’s still raw from his abrupt visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, against community leaders’ wishes in the aftermath of a recent mass shooting perpetrated by a man inspired by the president’s rhetoric.
Similarly, after Maria hit Puerto Rico, the president quickly jumped into making the situation about his ego, claiming San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz to be part of a Democratic conspiracy against him because of her ardent efforts to obtain assistance for her people. FEMA — which the president often praises like it’s his pet or something — fumbled their response majorly, leaving people they could have helped without supplies across the island.
The examples could go on. He blamed raging, deadly wildfires on the people of California not raking their forests enough, for instance.
In other words, there’s little reason to take President Trump seriously on issues of natural disasters.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
