Trump defends playing 'Happy' after synagogue shooting: 'Rallies are meant to be fun'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
President Trump on Monday said there was no reason for him to cancel or postpone his Saturday night rally in Indiana, which took place hours after the deadly mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump first defended playing the Pharrell Williams song "Happy," saying, "Rallies are meant to be fun." He doesn't believe in calling off events when tragedies occur, and stood by his decision to go to Indiana. "Frankly, I think that's the way it should be," he said. "You can't let these people disrupt more than they already have. They are disgraceful."
The president and first lady Melania Trump are expected to travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and Trump said he will "pay my respects and going to the hospital to see the officers and some of the people who were so badly hurt." He also discussed Cesar Sayoc, the man charged with sending explosives to prominent Democrats and Trump critics, saying he "was insane a long time before this." As for the migrant caravan that is still about 1,000 miles away from the southern border, Trump said the people — many of them fleeing poverty and violence in Central America — are "wasting their time" and "not getting in." Those who arrive in the U.S., he added, will be greeted by "tents, they're going to be very nice and they're going to wait, and if they don't get asylum, they get out."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
