Twitter shames Trump for doing the absolute least in the wake of explosive devices

Putting in the least amount of effort.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Twitter shames Trump for doing the absolute least in the wake of explosive devices
"Sure, whatever Mike says!" Credit: Getty Images

UPDATE: Oct. 24, 2018, 2:34 p.m. EDT Updated to include Trump's statement at White House opioid event


As authorities investigated explosive devices sent to the home of Hillary Clinton, the office of Barack Obama, and the building that houses CNN's New York office, President Donald Trump incurred the wrath of Twitter for putting in the least possible effort condemning the threats by quote-tweeting Vice President Pence.

Earlier in the day, Pence sent a tweet condemning the actions as "cowardly" and "despicable," the kind of message you expect from a leader. Trump, then, decided the best he could do was a quote tweet of Pence with an added line that amounts to "Yeah, what he said!"


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The White House also put out a statement, via Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, condemning the devices, but Trump's tweet was his first direct response to the series of incidents.

Twitter users were incensed by the lackadaisical response, especially considering the recipients of Wednesday's devices, as well as billionaire George Soros who received a similar device earlier this week, are all favorite targets of Trump's angry rhetoric. Trump has repeatedly lead chants of "Lock Her Up!" at rallies in reference to Clinton; he was a primary catalyst behind the racist conspiracy theory questioning Barak Obama's birthplace; and frequently has referred to CNN and other journalism outlets as the "enemy of the people."

There were also reports of suspicious packages sent to former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. However, there's no confirmation if these packages were explosive devices or if they're connected to any of the other incidents.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, both First Lady Melania Trump and the president gave fuller statements on the incidents, though President Trump didn't mention any of the recipients by name.

Trump called the incidents "egregious" and "abhorrent" and added, “The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice.”

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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