‘Another Incredibly Idiotic Story’: Jake Tapper Can’t Believe Trump Officials Reportedly Told FEMA Not To Say ‘Ice’ Amid Winter Storm

CNN’s Jake Tapper expressed disbelief that Homeland Security officials reportedly advised the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid using the word ‘ice’ as they continue to update the public on major upcoming winter storms, so as not to encourage comparisons to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, quipping, “Another incredibly idiotic story.”

The moment occurred during Friday’s The Lead With Jake Tapper, as CNN’s Gabe Cohen told Tapper that DHS officials under President Donald Trump asked FEMA to use the term “freezing rain” instead of ice in public messaging and social media posts about the upcoming winter weather event, in which the storm and ice track is forecasted to stretch over 2,000 miles across the East Coast.

“What they are worried about here is that by posting something like, ‘Watch out for the ice,’ that it’s gonna become an opportunity for a meme, for internet fodder, for public ridicule against the Department of Homeland Security,” explained Cohen, mentioning heightening anti-ICE protests in Minnesota after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer.

“Part of the problem here, as I talked to agency officials about this, is they’re saying, ‘What we’re talking about is ice and what we’re talking about is saving lives,'” continued Cohen.

“When you say ‘freezing rain,’ that makes me think, ‘Oh, I’ll put on a raincoat.’ It doesn’t make me think ‘ice,'” said Tapper.

“This is largely an ice event,” clarified Cohen, emphasizing that “a lot of states that I’ve talked to” say they are expecting “destructive ice” causing widespread damage to power grids and roads. “It is pretty remarkable that Homeland Security is saying, ‘Please try to avoid using that word.'”

Tapper summed up the Trump administration’s reasoning, stating, “Because they’re afraid of memes. Meanwhile, lives are on the line. Another incredibly idiotic story.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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