Trump Makes Tone-Deaf Joke About Stage Collapsing Under First Responders During 9/11 Bill Signing

[Demovictory9]

“Now I am going to sign this bill into law, and I don’t know if this stage will hold it, but if it doesn’t, we are not falling very far,” Trump declared, motioning down towards the structure.

He continued: “I would like to ask the families, and I would also like to ask the First Responders to stand up. And we’ll give this stage a shot. Let’s see how well built—Made in America, let’s see how well-built it is. Okay?”

The jokey remark rings especially tone-deaf considering how thousands of people died when the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers collapsed. And it didn’t take long for people to express outrage and disbelief over the inappropriate quip.

“You still got it, Donny,” comedian Patton Oswalt sarcastically noted on Twitter.


“What kind of person ‘jokes’ about a structure collapsing and people falling while signing a bill to compensate victims from a horrific traumatic event in which a structure collapsed and people fell to their death?” political scientist Brain Klaas wondered.

“Get it? Because they might be nervous about structures collapsing, ha ha!” Vox’s David Roberts tweeted.


Muslim-Americans, meanwhile, contrasted the president’s remarks with his recent condemnation of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for supposedly downplaying the 9/11 terror attacks, asking how folks would react if Omar, or any Muslim woman, would have made this joke.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-makes-tone-deaf-joke-about-stage-collapsing-under-first-responders-during-911-bill-signing

[blugbox]

1. Thank you for calling this out!!

I really got pissed off immediately after reading that.

He's either that evil, or that stupid. Either choice is frightening, so it's probably both.

... joking about the stage collapsing and falling... with 9/11 first responders... simply unbelievable.

[dewsgirl]

2. I saw it after reading the long dementia/trump thread. In my mind, I'm thinking

maybe he had no idea what he was saying. Also in my mind, this man is f@cking evil, of course it was intentional.