BuzzFeed’s world news editor shocked and angered many Twitter users after accusing President Donald Trump of racism based on his response to the Easter terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka’s Christian churches.
After citing the numbers (known at that time) of those who were killed and injured, Trump tweeted, “The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help!” (RELATED: CNN And MSNBC Repeatedly Floated Impeachment Over Disputed BuzzFeed Report)
138 people have been killed in Sri Lanka, with more that 600 badly injured, in a terrorist attack on churches and hotels. The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2019
Miriam Elder responded to the president’s tweet saying, “Suspect we’d be hearing a lot more outrage from Trump and co. If [t]he Christians killed in Sri Lanka were white.”
Suspect we’d be hearing a lot more outrage from Trump and co. if the Christians killed in Sri Lanka were white https://t.co/7bNAiymzib
— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) April 21, 2019
The death toll of yesterday’s attacks is well over 200, and one witness described the scene as a “river of blood.”
The tweet was “ratioed,” meaning it received more comments than likes or retweets — a phenomenon that almost always means an overwhelmingly negative response from social media users, the Washington Examiner noted.
Many people reacted to the tweet as a tasteless politicization of a tragedy and a judgment based entirely on baseless opinion. One observer put succinctly: “I found it! The worst tweet of the day!” (RELATED: BuzzFeed Scrambles To Explain Botched Michael Cohen Bombshell)
I found it! The worst tweet of the day!
— Wes Farrell ???????? (@WesUSNA) April 21, 2019
The president’s response to the incident did not mention race or infer any less condemnation than Trump usually reserves for terrorism. In fact, the tweet he posted following the terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand was fairly similar to his tweet posted Sunday.
“Just spoke with Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, regarding the horrific events that have taken place over the past 24 hours,” he wrote. “I informed the Prime Minister … that we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the U.S.A. can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!
Just spoke with Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, regarding the horrific events that have taken place over the past 24 hours. I informed the Prime Minister….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
….that we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the U.S.A. can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
Trump had earlier tweeted that 138 million people had been killed in the terrorist attack but quickly revised that number in a follow-up missive.
BuzzFeed has not responded to a request for comment from The Daily Caller.