Donald Trump Is ‘Sad, Embarrassing Wreck Of A Man,’ George Will Writes, And Twitter Can’t Get Enough
Donald Trump is a “child president (who) had a play date with a KGB alumnus, who surely enjoyed providing day care,” wrote one of America’s most prominent conservative columnists on Monday, after Trump’s “summit” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the bizarre press conference that followed on Monday — a performance by Trump that was condemned from both sides of the political aisle as “shameful,” “disgraceful,” “disgusting,” and even “treasonous,” according to a roundup of reactions compiled by NBC News.
But some of the most choice words came in a Tuesday Washington Post column by Will, a onetime Pulitzer Prize winner whose Post bio describes him as “one of the most influential writers in America.”
In the scathing column, Will condemns Trump as a “sad, embarrassing wreck of a man,” who “speaks English as though it is a second language that he learned from someone who learned English last week.”
Will also attempts to understand why Trump appears strangely reluctant to speak critically of Putin, as Vox noted, failing at the summit and press conference to criticize Putin for Russia’s 2016 cyber-attack on the United States presidential election, Putin’s 2014 annexation of neighboring Crimea, or his invasion of Ukraine, among numerous other offenses. Trump also had no response when Putin refused to deny that Russia held “compromising information” over Trump.
“Trump has a weak man’s banal fascination with strong men whose disdain for him is evidently unimaginable to him,” Will wrote.
Will also wondered why Trump has consistently refused to release his tax returns, as almost every president has for the last four decades, according to Politifact. Trump “knew that he had more to fear from making his tax returns public than from keeping them secret,” Will wrote, speculating that Trump’s tax returns could reveal his deep financial connections to Russia.
Twitter users, Congress members, retired generals, and other top columnists quickly reacted to Will’s acidic column.
Dear George Will: Thanks for illuminating the truth. Regarding your question about Republicans, the hearing today in @HouseJudiciary was about whether Diamond & Silk is getting enough Facebook likes. So yeah, the capacity for embarrassment among the GOP is quite high. @GeorgeWill https://t.co/n0hd4rHEr6
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 17, 2018
George Will at his most direct on Trump and his shameful performance in office. National security imperiled by trump’s attacks on our allies and his embrace of thugs like Putin and Duterte. https://t.co/IXYubpZlDv
— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) July 17, 2018
George Will on "this sad, embarrassing wreck of a man" who is our president. He speaks English "as though it is a second language that he learned from someone who learned English last week" but is clear in siding with Russia, not our intelligence agencies.https://t.co/oN4rXfh61e
— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) July 17, 2018
George Will names and shames. And scoffs at the emperor with no clothes, who waves a Russian flag.
— Misogynist America (@FaithBridges15) July 17, 2018
Will also took aim at Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, to the Twitter users’ delight.
yikes. george will on lindsay graham: “for years enjoyed derivative gravitas from his association with John McCain” https://t.co/ykxWmE40Ii
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) July 17, 2018
@realDonaldTrump George Will is right. You are 'a sad embarassing wreck of a man". You committed treason in office. You are Putin's puppet. https://t.co/UcyJbSepuB
— WickedGood (@MKWilson_603) July 18, 2018
But not all of the Twitter users who posted about Will’s column found it inspiring. A number of Republicans and Trump supporters ripped Will almost as viciously as Will ripped Trump in the Post column.
I remember when George Will was relevant. Couldn’t get past the first paragraph. #awful
— David S. (@dfs1974) July 18, 2018
George Will shut up once he realizes how stupid he is.
— Liz (@LizCT11) July 18, 2018
The pro-Trump tweets, however, did not discourage Will’s supporters on the social media platform.
Trump cultists and/or Russian bots attacking George Will for writing the truth.
— JesterX (@wizardtechny) July 18, 2018
George Will explained this best but the question is do Republicans have the capacity to face this mistake of a President? https://t.co/lfw94uG5mS
— Tony’s Thoughts (@ThoughtsOfTony) July 18, 2018
Holy CATS this is SO GOOD! I want to marry George Will’s writing. Is that possible? https://t.co/v9W8zw2vPs
— Alison Dagnes (@AliDagnes) July 18, 2018
Tuesday’s brutal column was far from the first time that Will has expressed his outrage and contempt for Trump. In one MSNBC interview earlier this year, he described Trump as “a mistake of nature.” But in a Post column, he decried Vice President Mike Pence as even worse, writing that Pence had surpassed Trump as “America’s most repulsive public figure.”