'Have you no shame?': Trump roasted for using deadly Amtrak derailment to tout infrastructure plan
Twitter furiously slammed the president for exploiting the tragedy to push his political agenda before offering his condolences to those affected.
US President Donald Trump used the deadly Amtrak derailment in Washington state to tout his upcoming, long-delayed infrastructure plan and Twitter is furiously slamming him for it. Early Monday (18 December) morning, an Amtrak train in Washington derailed as it was barreling over a highway overpass and spilled onto the busy freeway, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others.
"The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly," Trump tweeted just hours after the fatal crash.
He also complained about the amount of money the US is spending in the Middle East.
"Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!" he wrote.
Trump's administration is currently preparing a $1 trillion (£747bn) infrastructure push that is expected to be unveiled in January.
He followed up the first tweet with a more traditional one 11 minutes later sending his condolences to people affected by the deadly crash.
"My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington," he tweeted. "Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene. We are currently monitoring here at the White House."
Twitter, on the other hand, furiously slammed the president for exploiting a tragic situation to push his political agenda before offering his condolences to those affected.
"Trump's reaction to Amtrak train derailment: First, use the train accident to call attention to your infrastructure proposals. Second, express concern for the victims," one Twitter user wrote.
"So, any condolences to the families of those who died or were injured? Empathy, compassion, understanding... These things seriously elude you," a user tweeted.
Another said: "Trump turns yet another disaster into an advert for himself."
"He's never not an a**hole. Never," Andy Lassner, an executive producer for The Ellen Show, tweeted.
Wow! Not even thoughts and prayers for people on that train, or on that freeway?
— California Angels of Anaheim HAL😎ZZ (@adreamersview) December 18, 2017
Are you ill? Where is your empathy for the dead and injured and their families? Chilling.
— jeffrey combs (@jeffreycombs) December 18, 2017
How are you so bad at this? You can’t even get basic human emotion right.
— Nicole McDaniel (@nicoleann75) December 18, 2017
Fact: this train route just got a $181 million upgrade & Trump’s proposed budget would have slashed $630 million in subsidies for long-distance Amtrak routes. The truth still matters. https://t.co/dBe8CPfhO8 https://t.co/jwx99ZQzKw
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) December 18, 2017
The President's budget request on trains was described thusly: "a nearly 13 percent reduction in transportation spending over fiscal 2017 ... and a $630 million reduction in subsidies for long-distance Amtrak routes." https://t.co/0TS3YGG6od https://t.co/7oxxp9LEXa
— Phil Elliott (@Philip_Elliott) December 18, 2017
Been a little out of the loop today. But, it's striking that - before sympathizing with victims and their families - the president first used today's tragedy to push policy initiatives. A tweet sending thoughts and prayers followed this one about 10 minutes later.
— Nick LaFave (@NickLaFave) December 19, 2017
You never met a tragedy you couldn't immediately exploit for political purposes. Unless it's a white male mass shooter, then you're mysteriously silent. #upresidented
— Scott Hillis (@bittermelon) December 19, 2017
Wow how about just tweeting well wishes for victims without turning it into an insult contest used to exploit people’s pain for your own ego
— darth porg (@BetaArtemis) December 19, 2017
Wait, wait, wait. I thought were not supposed to "politicize" tragic events. No talk about banning Semi Automatic guns after Las Vegas but now is the time to talk infrastructure???
— Cassie Choudoir (@cassie_choudoir) December 19, 2017
Didn't you call for a cut in Amtrak funding?
— Political Doodle (@PoliticalDoodle) December 19, 2017
Asking for a friend.
You're awful - there were people killed and injured on that train.
— Rokey (@rokeypdx) December 19, 2017
That having been said - it's telling that you got your grift on *before* you mentioned your campaign promise of infrastructure - not that there's really any money left for that. You're ruining this country.
how's that wall coming bro
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) December 19, 2017
People are dead and you use it to make political headlines. Have you no shame?
— Dave Osborne (@SuperDaveAkron) December 19, 2017
So the train accident is all about you, is it? Of course it is! What WAS I thinking?
— James Patrick Kelly (@JPatrickKelly) December 19, 2017
Would have been great if you led with this instead of gravestanding to push a political agenda.
— Matt Jarbo (@mundanematt) December 18, 2017
Monitoring pic.twitter.com/j4uZ6e3OAm
— Nathan Hale (@NH92276) December 19, 2017
FACT on today's derailment: Trump has submitted NO plan to fix railroad tracks to Congress. He has, however, submitted a budget to SLASH spending on long-distance rail. https://t.co/3nv2j7W22E
— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) December 18, 2017
Down the rabbit hole of fantasy.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) December 18, 2017
Before offering condolences to the families of those killed in the Amtrak cash, Trump suggests his infrastructure plan would have prevented it with more construction.
Meanwhile, his budget cuts $630 million in construction grants from Amtrak.
Before offering condolences to the families of those killed in the Amtrak cash, Trump decided to brag about his infrastructure plan. This is disgusting.
— Remove Trump Now (@KaniJJackson) December 18, 2017
Wow, Trump can't even bring himself to even mention the victims of the Amtrak tragedy & is instead using it to push for his infrastructure package which he's held off on for a year & which we no longer have $$$ to pay for.
— William LeGate (@williamlegate) December 18, 2017
Do I have this right? Trump’s response to the fatal Amtrak derailment is to praise himself for the imaginary infrastructure plan he has failed to deliver?
— James Gleick (@JamesGleick) December 18, 2017
can't talk about gun control after mass shootings
— KSwa50 (@noybsk2017) December 19, 2017
or climate change after deadly natural disasters
but Trump ready to Tweet about his supposed 'Infrastructure plan' even before he acknowledges the victims#Deplorable#TrumpUnfit#VoteGOPOut
