On Monday, President Trump’s Memorial Day tweet was slammed on Twitter for being more of a tribute to himself than to America’s fallen soldiers.
“Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!” he tweeted.
Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2018
Trump’s decision to speak for America’s war dead in a kind of infomercial for his administration — not to mention use of the phrase “Happy Memorial Day” with a cheerful exclamation point — did not go over well with some former officials.
“This is one of the most inappropriate, ignorant and tone-deaf things our Commander-in-Chief could have said on a day like today,” tweeted former State Department spokesman John Kirby.
This is one of the most inappropriate, ignorant and tone-deaf things our Commander-in-Chief could have said on a day like today. https://t.co/YRthmkTZZo
— John Kirby (@johnfkirby63) May 28, 2018
Retired Army Gen. Marty Dempsey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Trump out without mentioning his name. “This day, of all days of the year, should not be about any one of us,” tweeted Dempsey. “No matter how prestigious or powerful, no matter how successful we perceive ourselves to be. Rather, this day should be about those who gave their lives so that we could live ours in freedom.”
“The most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever made,” tweeted @votevets, a progressive veterans’ group. “Wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a “happy” holiday is appalling.”
This is the most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever made. Self-promotion on a day to remember the fallen, and wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a “happy” holiday is appalling. #CadetBoneSpurs pic.twitter.com/kRse4dnwiu
— VoteVets (@votevets) May 28, 2018
Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, former chief of the CIA and National Security Agency, wrote simply: “OMG.”
— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) May 28, 2018
Civilians also objected to the tweet’s tone deafness.
“Donald Trump puts the ‘me’ in Memorial Day,” read the headline of a CNN opinion piece. “The tweet seems reflective of a broader belief that has animated every moment of Trump’s campaign and presidency: This is about him. Period,” wrote Chris Cillizza.
“On Memorial Day, the president takes some time to remember that dead soldiers are grateful to him,” tweeted Josh Barro of “Business Insider.” “
On Memorial Day, the president takes some time to remember that dead soldiers are grateful to him. https://t.co/DZaGWlkm7q
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) May 28, 2018
“tfw you go to a funeral and delivery a eulogy about how great you are at your new job,” wrote Twitter user @mileskahn.
tfw you go to a funeral and delivery a eulogy about how great you are at your new job https://t.co/qjLxr6pJZb
— Miles Kahn (@mileskahn) May 28, 2018
“The Hill” noted that George Conway, husband of Trump’s senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, retweeted several tweets critical of the president’s remarks, including this by “National Review” editor Jay Nordlinger: “Is this too obvious to state? If a Democratic president said something like this, the Right would go absolutely ape, with me leading the pack.”
Is this too obvious to state? If a Democratic president said something like this, the Right would go absolutely ape, with me leading the pack. https://t.co/qKyQfv9ApA
— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger) May 28, 2018
Even Dictionary.com was moved to weigh in. “Memorial Day is defined as ‘a day set aside in most states of the U.S. for observances in memory of dead members of the armed forces of all wars’,” the site tweeted. “Not found: Economic reports.”
Memorial Day is defined as “a day set aside in most states of the U.S. for observances in memory of dead members of the armed forces of all wars.”
Not found: Economic reports https://t.co/SFer0sLGgR https://t.co/0upU2gdIcC
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 28, 2018
