On Saturday, a mass shooting occurred in Odessa and Midland, Texas, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people and several dozen injuries. Meanwhile, Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm as it makes its way toward the Bahamas and the coast of Florida. All of this amounts to a depressingly tragic Labor Day Weekend that still isn’t over yet, and judging by President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed, his administration is trying to stay on top of it all. Even so, his random tweet about actress Debra Messing on Sunday has left many confused and stunned.
“I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice,” tweeted Trump. “And when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me ‘Sir.’ How times have changed!”
I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice, and when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me “Sir.” How times have changed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2019
Media watchdogs quickly determined that Trump’s tweet was a reaction to a post Messing made on Saturday. In it, the Will & Grace actress shared a link to a Hollywood Reporter article about the president’s plans to attend a fundraiser in Beverly Hills during the week of the Emmys. “Please print a list of all attendees please,” she wrote. “The public has a right to know.”
Please print a list of all attendees please. The public has a right to know. https://t.co/YV4UoxrPHI
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) August 31, 2019
Despite the fact that Messing’s political postings and the president’s random ravings on Twitter are both thoroughly established and well known by most critics, many were still shocked by the latter given the weekend’s horrible circumstances.
It seems noteworthy that the president was tweeting about Debra Messing and The Apprentice this morning, hours after a mass shooting in West Texas and while a hurricane that's threatening parts of the south was continuing to strengthen.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 1, 2019
There’s apparently nothing more pressing to tweet about today than a beef with Debra Messing. https://t.co/LEGeATzx41
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) September 1, 2019
There was a mass shooting last night in Texas and a catastrophic category 5 Hurricane is slowly moving towards Georgia and the Carolinas but this tweet about actress Debra Messing is what the Presidnet of the United States believes is the best use of his time. #BeBest https://t.co/SLJVo9dF3B
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) September 1, 2019
Hurricanes. Mass shooting deaths. Looming recession. Rise in white supremacy violence but yes let’s address the real problem facing America: Debra Messing. https://t.co/lzFNrLgbNp
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 1, 2019
Not much else going in the world right now so it makes sense to tweet at Debra Messing https://t.co/qHeJw4FOpC
— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 1, 2019
There’s a category 5 hurricane heading for the United States, there was another mass shooting, and we may be heading for another recession.
But your president is spending his time attacking Debra Messing. https://t.co/lisPpk3HWl
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) September 1, 2019
Of course, as is always the case with these increasingly absurd outbursts, there were plenty of jokes.
A crowd of coal miners, big strong guys out of central casting, with tears in their eyes, bursting into grateful applause when Mr. Trump tells the Crazy Debra story https://t.co/7aOMaYYcZd
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) September 1, 2019
"Theres been a mass shooting at Columbine High School though what I'm most upset about right now is Arsenio Hall not letting me do an encore when I played saxophone on his show 5 years ago." https://t.co/bdVtxULoF8
— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) September 1, 2019
"Eric McCormack called me 'Your highness' and wept when I passed him in the hall. The cast of Las Vegas carried me on their shoulders singing The Foo Fighters' My Hero. Gunther from Friends exploded." https://t.co/ABUUypSdPV
— Mike Scollins (@mikescollins) September 1, 2019
Might have saved this for a slower news day. https://t.co/Ka8ZVfZd9q
— (((Disloyal))) (@JoshMalina) September 1, 2019
Messing also jumped on the fact that Trump’s tweet about her was trending.
I’d rather you bring attention to the Catagory 5 Hurricane #Dorian threatening our south eastern coast, and the tragic & preventable shooting that occurred yesterday in #Texas. https://t.co/MVbOuHwKUU
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019
Now that I know I have your attention @realDonaldTrump, please read this thread— a PARTIAL list of souls lost to preventable,devastating gun violence. America wants universal background checks. The majority of Americans want assault weapons ban. Take Action and I’ll call you Sir. https://t.co/BnaS9zgNps
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019