Donald Trump Responds To Spate Of Bombs Sent To High-Ranking Democrats With Three-Word Statement
Donald Trump spoke out about the spate of bombs sent to top-ranking Democrats and to CNN — using only three words.
On Wednesday, reports noted that explosive devices were sent to the New York home of Bill and Hillary Clinton and to Barack Obama, though the New York Times reported that all were intercepted. As the morning went on, other explosive devices were found delivered to the New York offices of the cable news network CNN and to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, along with Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
The attempted bombings had many pointing fingers at Donald Trump for his harsh rhetoric, as he has been continuing calls for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison and has referred to the mainstream media as the “enemy of the American people.” That had many watching to see how Trump would respond to the attempted bombings.
A few hours after the first report of packages sent to Obama and the Clintons hit news outlets, Trump finally did respond. He used just three words.
Quoting a tweet from Vice President Mike Pence condemning the attacks, Trump added: “I agree wholeheartedly!”
I agree wholeheartedly! https://t.co/ndzu0A30vU
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2018
The reply itself drew Trump even more criticism, many social media users calling on him to fully condemn the attempted bombing. Other Twitter users noted that the bomber appeared to pick the targets most frequently ridiculed by Trump himself. The statement came just days after Trump drew controversy for praising a Republican Congressman for his unprompted attack on a journalist — which many saw as poorly timed given that Turkish officials are still searching for the dismembered body of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio took aim directly at Trump when addressing the attempted bombings on Wednesday afternoon, telling the president not to encourage violence against his political opponents. Bill de Blasio has been a frequent critic of President Trump since Trump assumed office.
De Blasio indirectly warns Trump: "Don’t encourage violence" https://t.co/BYRiRjmBvS
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 24, 2018
While Donald Trump had just three words to offer, the White House itself released a more fleshed-out statement about the attacks.
“These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the statement said, via the New York Times. “The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.”
But that statement was not attributed to the president himself, and Donald Trump has said repeatedly that only he speaks for himself — usually through Twitter.
