Donald Trump: Tragic Amtrak Crash Was All About Me — ‘I Am The BEST Builder,’ Tweets Presidential Hopeful
Real estate developer and reality TV personality Donald Trump reacted quickly to the tragic crash of an Amtrak commuter train Tuesday night. The horrific accident claimed the lives of seven passengers, left eight more hospitalized in critical condition, and injured as many as 200.
But Trump apparently felt no pressing need to comment on the human toll of the crash, instead choosing to focus on how the disaster could benefit his own as-yet-undeclared 2016 presidential bid.
The 68-year-old Trump took to Twitter to voice his immediate response — a blistering attack on America’s declining infrastructure.
Amtrak crash near Philadelphia, train derails -many hurt, some badly. Our country has horrible infrastructure problems. Pols can’t solve!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2015
While American infrastructure neglect is well-documented, Trump quickly proposed his own version of a solution to the problem — more Donald Trump.
The only one to fix the infrastructure of our country is me – roads, airports, bridges. I know how to build, pols only know how to talk! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2015
Remember, politicians are all talk and NO action. Our country is a laughing stock that is going to hell. The lobbyists & donors control all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2015
I am the BEST builder, just look at what I’ve built. Hillary can’t build. Republican candidates can’t build. They don’t have a clue!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2015
His seemingly opportunistic tweets were immediately deemed inappropriate by multitudes of fellow Twitter users, who replied to Trump to tell him exactly how they felt about his response to the tragedy.
@realDonaldTrump did you just politicize a train derailment this quickly?
— patrick o’connor (@senatorpoot) May 13, 2015
@realDonaldTrump go away.
— Ben Ratner (@BenMakesTV) May 13, 2015
@realDonaldTrump Using a tragedy to promote your “presidential bid”? Congrats Donnie on finding a new low to sink to.
— We Just So Skol-Nay (@Rogerskolney) May 13, 2015
@realDonaldTrump it’s clear that Obama caused this to stop the trains from running during his Texas invasion. Benghazi!
— Don Stugots (@donstugots) May 13, 2015
.@realDonaldTrump Again, this is why I beg you to run for President. We need more idiotic off the cuff comments from game show hosts.
— Christopher Swartout (@chrisswartout) May 13, 2015
But while Trump boasted on Twitter about his expertise at building, what he did not say was that building any type of infrastructure upgrade costs money — a lot of money. And that money has not been forthcoming from congress.
In fact, on Wednesday — just hours after the deadly Amtrak crash — the majority-Republican House Appropriations Committee voted to cut federal funding for Amtrak by $250 million, a 15 percent slash from the previous year.
In his tweets, Trump did not mention how or where he planned to get the money to rebuild Amtrak or to meet other infrastructure needs should he become the country’s next president. His business career, however, provides a clue as to what his approach may be, and it is brilliantly simple: borrow the money — and don’t pay it back.
Donald Trump’s companies have frequently become over-leveraged with debt — and then simply declared bankruptcy to shield themselves from creditors.
[Image: Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
