President Trump Tweets About 2016 Election and Border Wall in the Midst of Hurricane Harvey
In the midst of a series of tweets about Hurricane Harvey Sunday morning, President Donald Trump shared a reminder of his 2016 presidential victory, asserted that Mexico will pay for the border wall and threatened to terminate NAFTA renegotiations.
Trump’s first tweet of the morning was a link to a book, “Cop Under Fire” by Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. A controversial figure, Clarke has called the Black Lives Matter movement a “domestic hate group” and categorized Planned Parenthood as a “destructive racist organization”
Trump, who is currently at Camp David, quickly pivoted to the storm sweeping through Texas — vowing to visit the state, which is currently getting battered by Harvey despite it being downgraded to a tropical storm, as soon as he could “without causing disruption.” “The focus must be life and safety,” he tweeted. This was the third tweet he had sent about the hurricane Sunday morning.
I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
But about 15 minutes later, he tweeted that Texas would not be the only state he was visiting. “I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in ’16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!” h wrote.
I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in '16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
“C.M.” is presumably a reference to Claire McCaskill, the Democratic senator from Missouri who is up for reelection in 2018. The White House has not released any details about this visit.
Shortly after, Trump shifted his Twitter discourse back to Harvey, assuring his social media followers that all would end well despite the unprecedented nature of the storm, which has been linked to at least two deaths in Texas. “Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!” he wrote. He did not mention any of the reported fatalities.
He then switched back to political commentary, tweeting that Mexico would pay for his border wall with Mexico, even though a leaked transcript of a phone call with the country’s President Enrique Peña Nieto revealed Nieto was refusing to pay for it. Trump also threatened to end ongoing negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement because Mexico and Canada are being “difficult.”
We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017