Donald Trump Roasted For Using Trucks And A Crane At White House To Illustrate Deregulation
Twitter users roasted President Donald Trump after he gave a speech at the White House flanked by a red and blue truck along with a crane to illustrate the concept of deregulation.
CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller posted an image of the event on Twitter, which shows reporters gathered on the south White House lawn. Next to the podium where the president, Vice President Pence, and several guests spoke, one blue and one red truck were parked back to back.
Next to the red truck, a crane was positioned, lifting a group of large weights out of the red truck. Along the arm of the crane is a banner reading “Trump Administration.” The blue truck was meant to represent the Democratic party and the weight of its regulations.
“I don’t know who thought of this idea, but it’s actually quite simple and quite good,” Trump said of the display, as video at C-SPAN shows.
On South Lawn, WH seeks to make a political point by setting up a crane lifting the weights of regulation from the bed of a "red" truck, while showing the burden of regulations weighing down a "blue" truck. pic.twitter.com/OoWmRPnWum
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 16, 2020
“I’d respect him more if he just said ‘I like trucks. Here are some trucks I like,'” noted James Fenton, a comedian and author.
Another person wondered how much the bodies of the people killed by COVID-19 would weigh down the red “Republican” truck.
“Thank goodness they ‘don’t have time’ for publicity stunts in the middle of a pandemic,” wrote Adam Rifkin, who linked to a video of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying that the Trump administration doesn’t have time for publicity stunts during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Numerous pundits and commentators mused about how much the visual aid cost taxpayers and suggested that it could be a violation of the Hatch Act, since it appeared to be a campaign message.
Trump spoke at length about regulation during the event. He claimed that regulation has “ravaged” American cities and “crippled” the nation. He claimed that his administration had removed the barriers that were stifling the country, and suggested that former Vice President Joe Biden, if elected, would reinstate the regulations that had been cut.
He also stated that his administration was protecting the suburbs, which Democrats want to “destroy.” Later, he spoke about dishwashers and showerheads, joking that he wants his hair to be perfect, so he doesn’t like low-flow appliances. The Trump administration has reversed water regulations put in place under the Obama administration, as well as fuel efficiency standards for some cars and trucks. Howevr, many of the Trump administration’s attempts to overturn previous standards have been blocked in court.
Trump, who has struggled in polls in response to his handling of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, concluded that the “heavy” hand of government regulation has been lifted from the shoulders of Americans.
