Donald Trump has come under heavy criticism online following his response to questions about the recent murder of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband.
The tragic event left Minnesota and the rest of the United States in shock, with confirmation that Melissa Hortman, 55, and John Hoffman, 60, along with their spouses, were targeted by a shooter at their homes.
The attack occurred over the weekend, and authorities have already detained a suspect.
The assault resulted in the deaths of Minnesota Rep. Hortman and her husband Mark, while Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette are currently in the hospital.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Kamala Harris, former vice-presidential candidate, have denounced the shootings as ‘politically motivated’ and condemned the violence.
Governor Walz stated: “Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service.
“She was a formidable public servant. A fixture and a giant in Minnesota.”
However, Donald Trump had a notably less sympathetic response when journalists asked him about the incident and whether he planned to speak to Governor Walz.
Trump referred to Walz when he remarked: “I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him.
“Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ Uh, the guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?”
Later that day, Walz’s spokesperson Teddy Tschann responded to Trump’s remarks.
Tschann stated: “Gov. Walz wishes that President Trump would be a President for all Americans, but this tragedy isn’t about Trump or Walz. It’s about the Hortman family, the Hoffman family, and the State of Minnesota, and the Governor remains focused on helping all three heal.”
Trump’s comments also sparked outrage across social media platforms.
A disgruntled Reddit user expressed: “What a vile POS Trump is.”
Another person, clearly upset, added: “A state senator is MURDERED and Trump won’t speak to the leaders of that state. The amount of damage he continues to do to our society is astounding. He’s the most un-American leader we’ve EVER had.”
Another commented: “Beyond despicable. I can’t imagine any other president being so callous. Trump is the epitome of a narcissist, zero empathy. POS.”
One more person stated: “If they were GOP that were shot/killed, Trump wouldn’t care about them but he would use that to try and further divide us, but since they were just Dems, no big deal, he wasn’t affected in any way. Don’t forget, this is the ‘what’s in it for me’ administration.”
Finally, someone wrote: “I know we say this all the time, but imagine if Biden or Obama had said that about a sitting governor when they were President. The outcry would have been through the roof. Trump had developed his own norms so it’s not even questioned anymore.”