Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut rained hell on Donald Trump on Saturday morning, saying the president’s attacks on Puerto Rico from his “opulent golf resort” should not be “normalized.”
The Senator’s tweet:
Don’t ever let this become normalized. Today our President will sit in his opulent golf resort attacking hurricane first responders. https://t.co/8hOVuk3cKM
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 30, 2017
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Murphy’s response was echoed by former Republican congressman and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, who also took to Twitter on Saturday to defend the leadership of San Juan’s mayor and criticize the president for golfing while “fellow Americans are suffering and dying.”
Scarborough’s tweet:
Poor leadership would be hiding at a country club golfing while fellow Americans are suffering and dying. She’s not doing that. You are. https://t.co/N4wJg5nrGQ
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 30, 2017
The strong, bipartisan response came after Trump issued a series of repugnant tweets on Saturday morning, taking direct shots at San Juan Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz and also attacking the people of Puerto Rico for wanting “everything to be done for them.”
The president’s tweets:
The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
…Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
…want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
As Murphy said in his short but effective rebuke on Saturday, this type of behavior by the leader of the most powerful country in the world must not be normalized.
But it’s not just Democratic lawmakers who should be speaking up as Trump continues to demonstrate his unfitness to hold this office. More Republicans in Congress need to speak out, as Joe Scarborough did on Saturday, and sound the alarms.
Until then, Trump will continue to get away with his reckless and increasingly dangerous behavior and real lives will be at risk.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
