Trump, Who Never Visited Site of Pulse Massacre, Posts Tweet Saying ‘We Will NEVER FORGET the Victims’
Candidate Trump Politicized the Massacre, Never Visited Site of America’s Deadliest Terror Attack Since 9/11
One year ago today then-candidate Donald Trump politicized the Pulse massacre, quickly calling it “possible terrorism,” claiming it “is just the beginning,” and denouncing what he claimed was President Barack Obama’s “weak and ineffective” leadership.
Really bad shooting in Orlando. Police investigating possible terrorism. Many people dead and wounded.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning. Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
And he congratulated himself on being “right” about the attack being terrorism:
Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
One day later he renewed his call for a Muslim ban, which the courts have now repeatedly blocked.
In the days following the terror attack, Trump started pandering to the LGBT community, claiming they support him. Just days after the massacre, Trump again made the claim, saying, “you know what, LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much lately. Starting to like Donald Trump very, very much lately.”Â
That same week he claimed to be the most pro-gay candidate running, while calling the Obama administration’s policies for LGBT people a “disgrace.”
And even though he delivered a speech two months later to a far right wing religious group at a venue just ten minutes away, Trump has never visited the site of America’s deadliest hate crime, deadliest mass shooting in modern history, and worst terror attack since 9/11. Not once.Â
The victims were mostly LGBT and Hispanic.
By comparison, candidate Hillary Clinton not only made an unannounced visit to the site, she met with families and friends of the victims and did so largely without making it a media event.Â
In August, instead of paying homage to the victims of the Pulse nightclub, Trump opened a new field office, right across the street from the terror attack site.
President Trump has never issued a proclamation honoring LGBT people and declaring June Pride Month. His predecessor did for eight years, and asPresident Bill Clinton did also.
Trump did find time to sign proclamations honoring June as National Homeownership Month, National Ocean Month, National African-American Music Appreciation Month, and National Caribbean-American Heritage Month.
So it should come as no surprise that today’s tweet, using a co-opted image of the victims of the Pulse massacre, claiming, “We will NEVER FORGET the victims,” rings hollow.
We will NEVER FORGET the victims who lost their lives one year ago today in the horrific #PulseNightClub shooting. #OrlandoUnitedDay pic.twitter.com/OFFUVAFBJM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2017
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