Reporters Mock Trump, Alabama Residents During Post-Tornado Visit

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet vistors as they land at Fort Benning, Georgia on March 8, 2019. Mike Theiler/Reuters

Some reporters and analysts mocked President Donald Trump and Alabama residents while Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and other administration officials visited the state in the aftermath of a deadly tornado.

After Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post, who was on the scene, posted a picture on Twitter showing Trump signing Bibles, several reporters replied, mocking the president and the people at the church.

Trump had started signing Bibles after a 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl asked him to sign their copies.

Andrew Kaczynski of CNN chipped in, saying: “Are they first editions?”

Molly Jong-Fast of The Bulwark added, “How many of said Bibles spontaneously burst into flames.”

Meredith McGraw, a reporter for ABC, shared the picture and wondered: “Signing Bibles?”

Dawsey replied, saying: “People brought them and asked him to do it.”

According to Dawsey’s subsequent article about Trump’s visit, the president signed “at least two Bibles for an adoring horde of volunteers, who were packed eight-deep around tables of recovery supplies.”

Ada Ingram, a local resident, said that Trump signed Bibles belonging to her sister and a 12-year-old volunteer, calling the president a “godsend.”

“He signed his Bible!” she said.

Trump also signed hats, clothes, and other items while posing for pictures with residents.

Rachel Scott, another ABC reporter, posted pictures that were taken by a volunteer that showed the Trumps signing Bibles at the church.

She also shared a picture of two Bibles with Trump’s signature on the front.

Among those in the media ridiculing the president and Alabama residents was Matthew Dowd, a political analyst for ABC.

“I don’t know who it is a worse commentary on: Trump actually signing Bibles in Alabama, or the people asking him to sign a Bible. Lordy Moses,” he wrote.

Aaron Rupar, a journalist for Vox, added: “It looks like Trump thinks he literally wrote the Bible.”

Eric Erickson, a writer for Resurgent, wrote: “Do not let people autograph your Bibles. That’s creepy and gross.”

Several officials who worked under former President Barack Obama also slammed Trump for signing Bibles.

Todd Breasseale, a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary under Obama, said: “This is *not* a useful mental exercise and always leads to frustration, but I’m just trying to imagine if President Obama did at any of the natural disaster areas what Mr. Trump did in Alabama, and the subsequent meltdown on Fox and across the politicized evangelical world.”

“Trust me, if Obama had signed Bibles, the people at Fox News would’ve lost their minds,” Chris Lu, former cabinet secretary for the Obama administration, said.

But according to Slate, it hasn’t been all that uncommon for presidents or U.S. politicians to sign Bibles. According to Peter Manseau, the Smithsonian’s curator of religion, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan all signed one or more Bibles during their presidencies.

Reporters and photographers also posted pictures of the president and first lady standing in front of crosses erected in memory of the 23 people killed by the tornado.

Jong-Fast, The Bulwark reporter, posted a cropped picture zooming in on the Trumps.

“I call this one Martial bliss,” she wrote.

She later apologized, claiming she didn’t know where the photograph was taken.

“I deleted this tweet when I was told they were at a grave site,” she said.

From NTD News