The GOP have been criticised for promising to establish a manned base on the moon and a mission to Mars… all while we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and looming climate catastrophe.
On Friday, the official GOP Twitter account released it’s “priorities” if the party gets elected for a second term on 3 November.
And the first two were both about space missions:
Pres. Trump is fighting for YOU! Here are some of his priorities for a 2nd term: *Establish Permanent Manned Prese… https://t.co/ty0ch6Df9N— GOP (@GOP) 1603479618
But people on social media expressed how much they couldn’t care less about space exploration right now:
@GOP So completely and totally out of touch.— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1603486873
@GOP Colonizing the moon literally does nothing for everyday Americans— Dustin Ginsberg (@Dustin Ginsberg) 1603479655
Many people pointed out the fact that we’re in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and priority should go to stopping people affected by that:
According to @GOP, Trump’s top two priorities for a 2nd term involve THE MOON and MARS. Not the hundreds of thousan… https://t.co/Bl1w57Jbsu— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@Jon Cooper 🇺🇸) 1603496602
@john_sipher @GOP Nothing says “fighting for you” like plans to colonize the moon during a raging, deadly pandemic on earth.— Craig Newman (@Craig Newman) 1603483641
The GOP released their top priorities for Trump’s 2nd term, and I kid you not! Establishing a permanent presence on… https://t.co/g6X3cusXO1— Eric Rosswood (@Eric Rosswood) 1603491123
While others pointed out we’re also on the cusp of a climate emergency:
GOP: The Green New Deal is a waste of money. Also GOP: Our top priority is building a moon base.— Adam Best (@Adam Best) 1603511907
We have like 10 years left to mitigate climate change BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MOON https://t.co/dY0VTT1mZm— KT Thack (@KT Thack) 1603484138
Are they planning taking people to the moon and Mars because Trump is going to make Earth too uninhabitable due to… https://t.co/d3Z8pruv7f— Miranda Yaver, PhD (@Miranda Yaver, PhD) 1603481900
Some people saw the silver lining though:
@GOP If he doesn’t get a second term, can we still send him to the moon?— Jason Kander (@Jason Kander) 1603484592
Almost two hours after the GOP sent out their initial tweet – perhaps after backlash – they continued with their thread.
In it, they mentioned healthcare, developing a coronavirus vaccine, environmental commitments and stopping “endless wars”.