Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Jordan Collins

‘This was an act of God’: Trump administration avoids accountability for deaths in Texas floods by blaming the big guy upstairs

The Trump administration and accountability are two things that rarely go hand in hand. The Republicans are always looking for scapegoats whether it’s the Democrats, or immigrants, or in this case, God, they always have someone or something else to blame.

When addressing the failure to send out flood warnings to the people of Texas in adequate time, White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt shifted the blame from the government to the lord himself as she told reporters that the heavy rainfall and resulting destruction was an act of God.

The government refuses to take the blame

For a party that has tried its hardest to appeal to the religious zealots of America, it seems odd to try and shift the blame onto God for all those deaths. I guess when you can’t blame immigrants or Democrats then the big man in the clouds will have to do. Anything to avoid taking accountability right?

When asked by a reporter what the administration were doing regarding the timings for flood warnings Leavitt claimed that the floods were not that administration’s fault. She’s not wrong, but nobody’s saying the government is controlling the weather. Well, some nutjobs might be saying that, but that’s not the issue that needs addressing. What the reporter wanted to know is what the Trump administration is doing with regards to weather warnings.

Leavitt’s excuse was that the timing of the flood meant many were asleep when the warnings were sent out. Her attempt at an explanation didn’t go over well. On X people called her out for her lame excuses, one person wrote, “Is it only acts of God when it hits red states?”

Another pointed out the hypocrisy as Republicans have been more than happy to blame Democrats for natural disasters in the past, “But it wasn’t an act of God when fire raged through CA, it was Newsom’s fault for not sending enough water to Southern CA.” Just like Trump, she doesn’t seem to care.

Are Trump’s cuts to blame?

The little warning that was given prior to the flood has brought new scrutiny to the cuts Trump’s administration has been making. The president made cuts to staff working for the National Weather Service earlier this year and it’s raising questions over whether this decision might have cost some lives.

So far it’s been confirmed that the flash floods that started in the early hours of Friday have caused over 100 deaths. However, Leavitt denied the suggestion that the cuts made by Trump contributed to the weather warnings not getting to people in time. According to NBC news, independent meteorologist Chris Vagasky claimed “The forecasting was good. The warnings were good. It’s always about getting people to receive the message.”

Of course, it’s hard to say for sure whether there was anything the government could have done to prepare for the situation better. However, the desperate need to pin the blame on someone or something else shows just how spineless this administration truly is and always has been.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.