What If Trump Had Told The People of Las Vegas That 9/11 Was "A Real Catastrophe"?

If you look at the -- every death is a horror. But if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering -- nobody has ever seen anything like this. What is your death count, as of this moment -- 17?

President Trump speaking about Hurricane Maria in Carolina, Puerto Rico

October 3, 2017

Let's suppose for a moment that President Trump had gone to Las Vegas and told the city in the wake of the massacre which claimed the lives of 59 people and said, "But if you look at a real massacre like 9/11..."?

The fact that more lives were lost on September 11, 2001 than during the Mandalay Bay Casino attack is utterly beside the point and of cold comfort to those who lost their only father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter. The same principle is true where it concerns natural disasters. The fact that more lives were lost during Hurricane Katrina than during Hurricane Maria is utterly beside the point and of cold comfort to those who did lose loved ones not to mention those who lost their homes and their businesses. 

It is well worth noting that neither Hurricane Harvey nor Irma matched Katrina's death toll. But at no point did Trump ever suggest either Harvey or Irma wasn't a real catastrophe. Given his harsh criticisms of Puerto Rico's financial situation and his hostile predisposition to Latinos it is not unreasonable to conclude that he is less sympathetic to the plight of Puerto Ricans than those who live in Trump supporting states like Texas and Florida. Sad.