Student paper accuses Trump of exploiting Harvey for profit

The editorial board of the University of Florida’s student newspaper recently claimed that President Trump callously used Hurricane Harvey to “make money for himself.”

Citing a tweet from comedian Billy Eichner, who claimed that Trump’s response to the tragedy was “barely human,” the Independent Florida Alligator goes on to criticize the president for offering “no handshakes, no comforting words, [and] no hugs” to the victims, despite a popular picture that circulated showing Trump hugging a child who suffered through the event.

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“Our president has yet to meet with any victim of the storm. Not a single one. No handshakes, no comforting words, no hugs. Not even an attempt to show his constituents he cares about their well-being,” the editors contest, adding that while “customarily” world leaders “do what they can to make sure victims know the country cares,” Trump “didn’t get this memo.”

Indeed, the editorial complains that Trump seemed to “be using the disaster as an opportunity to promote the sales of his new baseball caps” through his campaign website.

“All of the money made from the sales of these hats will be going toward his re-election campaign. So far at every event Trump has appeared at concerning Harvey, he has been sporting one of these hats,” the editorial elaborates, claiming that he has “clearly and blatantly been extorting [sic] this horrific event as a way to make money for himself” by taking advantage of the “free advertising” afforded by his public appearances.

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While the editors insist that they are making no effort to “question Trump’s policy” or “his campaign strategy,” they do assert that they are calling “his character” into question, explaining that his response to the Harvey disaster “has made us lose what little respect we had left” for Trump.

“His actions have been nothing but lazy, selfish and truly shameful,” the editorial concludes. “Trump is not ‘barely human,’ as Eichner suggested. Trump is certainly a human. Just not a very good one.”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @eduneret