It took Trump 18 days to comment on deadly bombings in Austin
Trump didn’t want to talk about the fatal bombings terrorizing residents of the Texas capital — but he had time to promote Sean Hannity.
Trump took 18 days to comment on the deadly serial bombings in Austin, Texas. As of the morning of March 20, he hadn’t even spoken with his press secretary about the latest bombing. He only commented Tuesday afternoon in response to a question, calling it “terrible.”
Since March 2, there have been five bombings around Austin, including one just after midnight Tuesday. On Monday’s “Fox & Friends,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the latest bombing, and had shockingly little to say about it.
Asked if she’s spoken with Trump about the most recent bombing, Sanders replied, “I haven’t spoken to him directly, but I have talked to our team here at the White House here this morning since this is taken place.”
Sanders then hemmed and hawed her way through some non-specific talking points about cooperation with local authorities, and twice insisted that while she hasn’t talked to Trump, he is “aware of the situation.”
Sanders was unable to give even basic information about which federal authorities are assisting with the investigation, or what those authorities are doing to assist. It is unclear, from Sanders’ remarks, if she has ever spoken to Trump about the bombings.
Sanders’ lack of preparation is consistent with a White House that has ignored these bombings since they began nearly three weeks ago. The first bomb was a package bomb that killed Anthony Stephan House after it exploded on March 2, followed by another package bomb ten days later that killed one and injured another. The third bomb injured two this past Sunday, and was apparently set off with a tripwire.
Trump was silent for over two weeks on the mysterious wave of bombings, despite his well-documented affection for immediately exploiting acts of terror if he feels they reinforce his bigoted policies. Trump has consistently jumped on unfolding terror attacks to promote his Muslim ban, and even used them to slam domestic political opponents and international allies alike.
Meanwhile, Trump found the time to comment on subjects as trivial as the television ratings for an awards show, a book by a reality TV producer, and a television appearance by Sean Hannity.
Trump has a disturbing habit of ignoring acts of terror that don’t benefit him politically. But Americans deserve a leader who cares about protecting all of them, all of the time.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect Trump’s comments 18 days after the first incident.
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