Hate trump but I think RawStory is misrepresenting this as they do much else.
Here is the reporting for the Guardian, a mpre legitimate source of news:
Then, recalling a meeting with Comperatore’s widow, Helen, he made a risky attempt to find humour in the tragedy. “So they’re going to get millions of dollars but the woman, the wife, this beautiful woman, I handed her the cheque – we handed her the cheque – and she said, ‘This is so nice, and I appreciate it, but I’d much rather have my husband.’ Now, I know some of the women in this room wouldn’t say the same.”
As dinner guests erupted in laughter, Trump quipped: “I know at least four couples. There are four couples, Governor [Abbott], that I know and you’re not one of them. At least four couples here would have been thrilled, actually.”
If a random comedian made that joke it would be offensive and slightly funny.
He’s a former president, vying to be the next president, using a very real person’s trauma to set up the punch-line of a joke. It’s inappropriate and shows his lack of empathy.
It’s inappropriate etc but it’s not exactly making fun of the dead.
I try to think about these things from a “what would a median/swing voter think if they read this AND knew the context.” I firmly believe that misleading headlines etc have helped trump by making it harder for those in the middle to trust media outlets.
The first quote is the EXACT same as the OP article, and it’s disgusting to crack a joke about women rather have the money than their husband back. As the finale to a story about the woman who just lost her husband.
From the article 3rd paragraph:
“So they’re going to get millions of dollars but the woman, the wife, this beautiful woman, I handed her the check," Trump told the appreciative audience. "We handed her the check – and she said, ‘This is so nice, and I appreciate it, but I’d much rather have my husband.’ Now, I know some of the women in this room wouldn’t say the same.”
So what part about making a joke about it is it they misrepresent?
Very poor taste at the best. Crass regard for the tragedy is normal for the old weird felon.
I don’t think it’s at his expense? The idea is that the deceased and his widow were in love and would value each other more than money:
‘This is so nice, and I appreciate it, but I’d much rather have my husband.’
whereas he claims that some people in the audience would be thrilled to trade their spouses for money.
Trump is using the widows response to her husbands death to deliver a joke. Trying to make the whole thing funny.
How is that joke not at their expense, when it’s built on their situation?
