Trump Condemned For Using Pittsburgh Synagogue Visit to Attack Media on Twitter: ‘Disgusting’

President Donald Trump was condemned on Wednesday after he used his visit to the Pittsburgh synagogue that was the site of a mass shooting to attack the media, tweeting a somber video of his visit along with a caption praising the “great respect” he received and lashing out at the “fake news.”

“Melania and I were treated very nicely yesterday in Pittsburgh. The Office of the President was shown great respect on a very sad & solemn day,” tweeted Trump this morning, a day after he visited the devastated Tree of Life community. “We were treated so warmly. Small protest was not seen by us, staged far away. The Fake News stories were just the opposite-Disgraceful!”

Melania and I were treated very nicely yesterday in Pittsburgh. The Office of the President was shown great respect on a very sad & solemn day. We were treated so warmly. Small protest was not seen by us, staged far away. The Fake News stories were just the opposite-Disgraceful! pic.twitter.com/9B9HgCF1G9

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2018

Trump on Tuesday visited the scene of the shooting in which a gunman killed 11 worshipers, where he was met with protesters and a letter from progressive Jewish faith leaders demanding that he condemn the white nationalism in his base of support.

The president’s tweet about his visit was fiercely denounced and criticized by reporters, with many accusing Trump of making everything — even a hate-fueled mass shooting — about himself:

Is there some sort of competition within the White House to see who can disrespect the dead more? Between this and the Christian cosplaying as a rabbi… https://t.co/qnawryt4hs

— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) October 31, 2018

The Jewish faith has a custom that, when visiting someone mourning, you don’t even speak until spoken to, out of respect. It’s typically about making the mourners comfortable, not the ones visiting the mourners. https://t.co/xb2YurxZH5

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 31, 2018

Reads like a Yelp review https://t.co/pfa1I2MQ33

— Astead (@AsteadWesley) October 31, 2018

When folks at White House wonder why TelePrompTer version of potus isn’t seen as particularly authentic, this tweet is a reminder of why. Those protesting were primarily part of a community in mourning their dead, who also know showing deference to power wasn’t order of the day. https://t.co/LyIy11GiYT

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 31, 2018

It isn’t customary for people sitting shiva to tell the president he’s a scumbag, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking it. https://t.co/YsoO1BSdzf

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) October 31, 2018

The president: I went to the site of a mass murder and everyone was very nice to me. pic.twitter.com/NITHYfWEta

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 31, 2018

Trump’s first remarks about his Pittsburgh visit were about how he was treated, downplaying the protests and criticizing the media – not about the victims, the community or their families. https://t.co/QnjbfHa1fM

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 31, 2018

The point of the trip was supposed to be Trump showing respect to Pittsburgh, not the reverse https://t.co/fkqVD2I6On

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) October 31, 2018

It’s always about Trump https://t.co/qYwNZBrrVl

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) October 31, 2018

If this were any other president, a tweet using a visit to a community in mourning to make petty digs at protesters and to attack the press would be an outrage across the political spectrum https://t.co/zwfzxa59ec

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) October 31, 2018

This is a disgusting tweet. https://t.co/OLYtLNW6bj

— Marybeth Glenn (@MBGlenn) October 31, 2018

Trump said he was going to Pittsburgh to pay respects to the victims, but seems he is most focused on how much respect was shown to him. https://t.co/2EI2SANpbz

— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) October 31, 2018

Was the trip intended for the president to pay his respects? Or was it for a grief-stricken city to pay its respects to him? https://t.co/JnDhVnAWsc

— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) October 31, 2018

The president has found a way to make the worst anti-Semetic attack in the country’s history about him https://t.co/JnDhVnAWsc

— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) October 31, 2018

[image via screengrab]

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