Schumer Trashes Trump Rose Garden Event as ‘Pathetic’: Shows ‘Inability to Lead’

President Donald Trump has received a great deal of criticism for his brief Rose Garden appearance in which he didn’t take any questions from reporters.

The big announcement from Trump was that the U.S. is ending its relationship with the WHO, but people were expecting POTUS to address — or at least take questions on — the events in Minneapolis this week, the killing of George Floyd, the charges against the officer, the rioting, and, of course, his own much-denounced tweets.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to Twitter to call Trump’s event “pathetic” and saying “the only question is whether President Trump is afraid to lead or just doesn’t know how”:

President Trump’s Rose Garden event just now was pathetic.

It perfectly encapsulates his inability to lead when our nation needs it most.

The only question is whether President Trump is afraid to lead or just doesn’t know how.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 29, 2020

America is reeling from 100,000 deaths and rising.

40 million have filed for unemployment.

Our communities are hurting from senseless murders and years of racism and injustice.

But President Trump is only interested in scapegoating and divisiveness when he should be leading.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 29, 2020

Schumer was far from alone in criticizing POTUS:

President Trump didn’t speak on the unfolding tragedy in our country, but his silence said everything. https://t.co/C1MQF4CFQg

— Rep. Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) May 29, 2020

Black men targeted daily. A city is burning. More than 100,000 dead from a pandemic. And Donald Trump used a Rose Garden event to bash #China over Hong Kong and the World Health Organization. https://t.co/nj5ZqoOQNK

— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) May 29, 2020

Trump’s withdrawal from the WHO is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to deflect from his incompetent response to #COVID19 and his failure to unite a broken nation.

We see you, Mr. President.

— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) May 29, 2020

How does a President today not even pause to express sorrow for the pain felt by so many? And refuse to take questions?

— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) May 29, 2020

If you don’t answer questions, it’s not a fucking press conference. pic.twitter.com/EAhHEG6lk8

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) May 29, 2020

It is curious Trump slipped away from his “press conference” today. There’s a looming question over whether he’s afraid to lead – Looking at the botched response to C-19, and then his shirking the OBVIOUS call to calm the country.—it’s as if he clenches up. Just cannot do-the job

— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) May 29, 2020

Trump did speak on Minneapolis in a White House event hours later.

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