GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump took a beating on Twitter late Saturday night after using an explosion in a dumpster at a New York construction site to alarm a crowd at a Colorado rally.
Moments after New York news services announced a loud explosion in the Chelsea area — and well before first responders began investigating — Trump told a crowd of rabid supporters, “Just before I got off the plane, a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows exactly what’s going on, but we are living in a time when we’ve got to get very tough, folks. We’ve got to get very, very tough.”
“It’s a terrible thing that’s going on in our world and in our country and we are going to get tough and smart and vigilant,” he added. “We’re gonna end it. We’re gonna end it.”
Reports of Trump’s off-the-cuff and alarming remarks infuriated Twitter users — particularly commenters who live in New York and stood by watching investigators do their work as life in Manhattan continued on.
Leading the pack was commentator Keith Olbermann, who called the GOP presidential candidate an “exploitative scumbag,” writing, “Dear @RealDonaldTrump: I’m sorry the explosion in Chelsea scared you so much when everybody IN Chelsea seems fine #YouExploitativeScumbag”
A sampling of from Twitter below.
Trump just called early reports of an explosion in New York a "bomb." No confirmation of that yet. "We've got to get very tough," he says
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) September 18, 2016
Trump in Colorado, telling crowd that a bomb just went off in NY. Then says he's up 4 points in new poll. pic.twitter.com/3CN20XqwmL
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 18, 2016
Hmm. #Chelsea explosion at 8:31pm. 1,637 miles away in CO, Trump says 'bomb went off in NY' in less than 30 minutes. https://t.co/5VUiAO5fxq
— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) September 18, 2016
Hey, there's a surprise, Donald Trump decided to use the New York explosion to his political advantage!
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) September 18, 2016
TRUMP: "Folks, this explosion in New York: it was a bomb. 100%. Mark my words. If it for some reason wasn't, forget it. But it was a BOMB."
— Owen Ellickson (@onlxn) September 18, 2016
Don't be like Trump and spread misinformation. Nobody knows what caused Chelsea explosion. Could be gas leak or other accident.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) September 18, 2016
If Trump handles an explosion on a Chelsea corner like this, how would he handle a national security situation? Pray we never have to learn.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 18, 2016
NYPD, NYFD don't know if it was a bomb in Chelsea but Trump does!
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) September 18, 2016
Dear @RealDonaldTrump: I'm sorry the explosion in Chelsea scared you so much when everybody IN Chelsea seems fine#YouExploitativeScumbag
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 18, 2016
Why is Trump so eager to claim every event as terrorism? Like all demagogues he wants to create climate of fear so he can seize power.
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) September 18, 2016
What Trump would do in face of terror in US: react too fast & ignorantly to prove his toughness. We are all at risk. We would ALL suffer.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) September 18, 2016
Trump immediately viewed the Chelsea bombing as a positive for his campaign because he always sees the explosive device as half-full.
— Frank Conniff (@FrankConniff) September 18, 2016
Trump busily filling out paperwork claiming the Chelsea explosion damaged 40 Wall Street.
— David Waldman (@KagroX) September 18, 2016
It's almost as if pro-Trump folks WANT the #Chelsea explosion to be terrorism. That would make them monsters. Right?
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) September 18, 2016
Has Trump expressed any concern for those of us that live in NYC ? Of course not, just reactively fear-mongering before any info. is known.
— Elizabeth West (@Limeylizzie) September 18, 2016
Ask the citizens of the Chelsea section of Manhattan if an attack on them makes them support Trump. Don't think so. New Yorkers hate Trump.
— larryagross (@larryagross) September 18, 2016
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