As I write this, I’m taking in the news of the bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. Twenty-two confirmed dead so far. At least 59 injured.
Truth be told, I don’t know much about Ariana Grande. I know she’s a pop star. I can’t name any of her songs though I’m sure I’ve heard some. What I do know is that she has a gay brother and has been very vocal about her support of LGBT rights. Her fan base is largely young women and gay men, and some of those fans are dead now at the hands of a suicide bomber — a person whose life was so worthless they were willing to throw it away just to hurt and kill others.
It’s only a matter of time before this tragedy will be blamed on “the gays.” In fact, a supposed Trump supporter on Twitter wrote, “God is speaking to [Grande] for being promiscuous and promoting homosexuals. When HE speaks you must listen, friends!”
Now, this Tweet is likely from a troll account, not a real person, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are people who actually believe this stuff.
Look, I don’t believe in God, but even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t be praising a god who wants children blown up at a pop concert to teach the queers a lesson.
Obviously, the man responsible for this bombing is the biggest creep this week. But we don’t know if he worked alone yet or with a network. And so, Donald Trump gets to be Creep of the Week yet again.
In case you’re wondering what, exactly, Trump has to do with all of this, the answer is everything and nothing.
When terrifying events happen anywhere in the world, the American people should have a leader they can look toward who offers competence, clarity and control. Trump lacks all of those qualities. We have a president who is continuously fucking up like it’s his job (Note: It is literally the OPPOSITE of his job). He’s an International Man of Blustery. There’s nothing he can say that will offer any assurances at home or abroad because nothing he says can be believed. He’s a pathological liar. He uses language in a way that is both thoughtless and reckless and will further embolden our enemies.
In Trump’s first public remarks about the bombing, he called the terrorists “losers.”
“So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers in life,” Trump said. “I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that’s a great name. I will call them from now on losers because that’s what they are. They’re losers. And we’ll have more of them, but they’re losers, just remember that.”
It’s possibly the first thing Trump has said that I agree with. But let’s dispense with the “and that’s the moment he became president” crap. He’s publicly called Rosie O’Donnell a loser, too, so that word out of Trump’s mouth has no power.
The sad fact is, Trump has no coherent plan or policy ideas. His approach to combating terrorism is talking tough about ISIS and banning Muslims from entering the country. His attorney general, Jeff Sessions, is focused on locking more potheads up and filling for-profit prisons with non-violent offenders because priorities. Trump and his administration have no credibility internationally and there’s no reason to believe that their hate-motivated agenda will keep us safe.
After the bombing, Ariana Grande tweeted, “I don’t have words.” Well, Trump does. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much else.
D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.