Trump to City: Mop Dead

The president tells New Yorkers to “get mops & buckets ready” to deal with massive storm surges.

A maintenance worker mops the lobby of Trump Tower in 2016.Bryan R. Smith/Getty Images

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Yesterday, President Donald Trump tweeted his take on a proposal to build a barrier to protect his hometown from storm surges like the one that killed 44 people and caused $19 billion in damage and economic losses during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012:  

In other words, mop dead

The sea barrier proposal is in its preliminary stages—the Army Corps of Engineers says the final structure will take 25 years to build. And there is debate over its environmental impact and how effective it will be against rising sea levels. 

Needless to say, the president loves other kinds of multibillion-dollar walls, even when they don’t work. And he’s not entirely opposed to sea walls when he’s the one (figuratively) left holding the mop. In 2016, he applied for a permit to build one to protect his Irish golf course from rising sea levels. (They were approved in 2017.)

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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