Every year, the threat of natural disasters ratchets upwards. New tools and scientific disciplines have risen across the world to monitor, predict, and combat the rising threat, but no matter how many NASA scientists handcuff themselves to banks in protest, Republicans never seem to get the message.
No, the party of “thoughts and prayers” has little patience for a discipline that has captured the minds of so many in Gen Z. They’d rather play politics in the face of disaster, hurling insults at leaders like Gavin Newsom instead of finding a meaningful way to help during a crisis. Leading the charge is none other than our soon-to-be commander in chief, Donald Trump, who is gleefully using the tragedy to try and oust the California governor.
Anyone hoping Trump would finally learn the definition of decorum before his return to office must be shaking their heads in disappointment right now. As an unprecedented emergency tears through Los Angeles and Hollywood like one of Tinsel Town’s action flicks, the president-elect can’t help but use social media to sling barbs rather than offer comfort.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault,” he raged, completely forgetting the nearly 1 million lives his late COVID-19 response caused.
His army of toadies was quick to join in the dog pile, with the notable exception of Texas Jr. Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — two leaders who are more than familiar with being thrown under a bus during a crisis, and kissing Donald Trump’s gratuitous behind.
Florida is still recovering from a brutal hurricane season. Hurricane Helene ravaged the Big Bend region of Florida, killing hundreds and causing millions in damages and kicking off the worst hurricane season in decades. Multiple storms hitting the coast within weeks of one another — though Milton failed to live up to the “worst-case scenarios” predicted — leaving millions without power, food, or shelter.
Florida activists were quick accuse DeSantis of poorly handling the crisis, but President Biden stood behind the governor, congratulating him on a “great job.” DeSantis has been less than reciprocal of the goodwill, snapping at Vice President Kamala Harris for trying to help coordinate relief efforts before tapping Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to sue FEMA for “discrimination,” claiming that the organization skipped over homes displaying Trump signage.
Ted Cruz piled on in his sniveling way, saying, “At a time of crisis, politics should not play a part in how crisis relief is handled.” The Texan was ridiculed in 2021 when he fled the state for a holiday in Cancun after a deadly winter storm that claimed the lives of nearly 250 people. On January 9, a Texas substation exploded, leaving hundreds without power. More recently, policies set by the states Governor, Greg Abbott, have caused such weak infrastructure that an electrical substation exploded, straining the state’s already comically weak power grid. But Governor Abbott is a Republican, so the outrage will never touch him.
Trump hasn’t even returned to office, but his belligerent “leadership” is already dividing Americans. Any president worth their salt would be rising to the challenge to show Americans how to band together and save lives. But that’s not Donald Trump, nor is it his party of sycophantic fools. Instead, his petulance reigns as some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in California burn and responsible Americans get a glimpse of the next four years.
