Joe Vesey-Byrne
Oct 01, 2017
@thedweck/Twitter screengrab, (R) Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
People are comparing President Donald Trump to beheaded Queen Consort Marie Antoinette over his handling of the natural disaster in Puerto Rico.
On Friday, the administration was criticised by the Mayor of San Juan for its slow response to the damage done to Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria.
Asking for more federal assistance, Mayor Carmen YulÃn Cruz said she was 'done being polite' and felt 'mad as well'.
In response, President Trump went after the Mayor.
The apparent lack of human empathy coming from the White House was summed up in the sentence:
They want everything to be done for them.
Writer Jess Dweck shared this unfortunate photo of Donald Trump, outside his resort Mar-A-Lago, sitting on a throne, flanked by the resort's domestic staff.
The photo was taken in 2011 as part of a photoshoot at the resort featuring Donald Trump, his wife Melania, and their son Barron.
The opulence, and insinuation that officials in Puerto Rico are unjustly asking for assistance from the federal government, have led many to draw comparisons to the 18th century Queen consort of France Marie Antoinette.
Among the apocrypha of the French Revolution is the anecdote that when greeted by a bread riot, Queen Marie responded 'Let them eat cake'.
Although it is unknown if she ever said this, the unfavourable comparison to Queen Marie has been made whenever a national leader appears out of touch with the suffering of the population.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley was among those comparing the President to Queen Marie.
More: The difference between Donald Trump and the Mayor of San Juan in two photos
Top 100
The Conversation (0)
x