Seemingly loath to admit his false claim that the state of Alabama would face a direct hit from Hurricane Dorian—the storm that has devastated the Bahamas and is currently threatening the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas—Donald Trump was again the subject of widespread online ridicule after he presented a government-generated map with Alabama circled with a Sharpie pen.
In a tweet that rapidly gained more than 10,000 likes and retweets, journalist Dennis Mersereau noted how obviously the map Donald Trump pointed to during a White House statement was altered from the original:
The President of the United States altered a National Hurricane Center map with a sharpie to falsely extend the official forecast toward Alabama so he didn't have to admit he was wrong in a tweet. https://t.co/i0CJcYV4yq pic.twitter.com/pR57IL6WfT
— Dennis Mersereau (@wxdam) September 4, 2019
When asked about the markings on the map, the US president told reporters he did not know where the marks came from:
WATCH: Asked about the #sharpie-doctored @NWS map from earlier today, @realDonaldTrump repeats his lie about Alabama having been in Hurricane #Dorian’s path (it wasn’t).
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) September 4, 2019
Asked again about the sharpie marks, all he can say is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.” pic.twitter.com/4VgbFDjp8X
Federal officials with the National Weather Service were forced to issue a public correction after Donald Trump declared that Alabama was at risk from the storm:
Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east. #alwx
— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) September 1, 2019
But even after the NWS corrected the president's remarks, he did it again.
I— he extended an old track into Alabama with a sharpie. If this wasn’t so dangerous I’d be laughing. 😳😳 https://t.co/DtIzKZ7YKs
— Dr. Samantha Montano (@SamLMontano) September 4, 2019
THIS IS NOT HOW SCIENCE WORKS 😡 https://t.co/GorMRKoUZo
— March for Science ⚫️ #ClimateStrike (@MarchForScience) September 4, 2019
As a former leader of @NOAA I cannot believe this lie. It is shocking and disturbing. There is no bottom with @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/A49slp3HRS
— Monica Medina (@MonicaMedinaDC) September 4, 2019
As video and photos of the altered map spread on social media critics of Trump unleashed over his self-indulgent, narcissistic focus on Alabama.
Naturally, the memes started coming in fast and furious, and Trump was the butt of the joke.
COMMENTS