I do not believe that the forecasters in Alabama were "intent on embarrassing" trump. They didn't even know that trump had tweeted his erroneous warning. They were simply telling the truth as they knew it, and trying to keep people from making unnecessary -- and expensive -- preparations for an event which was very unlikely to happen.
However, given the number of exaggerated, mistaken, and just plain false statements trump makes, anyone who tells the truth is quite likely to contradict him. I doubt that this embarrasses trump; he simply doubles down on his error, and proceeds to threaten those who contradict him. He actually seems to believe that if he shouts loud enough, his falsehoods will become truth.
These are not the actions of a mentally stable person.
80
I just don't understand how anyone supports this guy. On top of everything else, he literally gave an official presentation to millions holding a map with a marker scrawl on it because of his ego and pretended nothing was wrong with that.
Imagine your boss showing up at a business presentation with a marker scrawl on a poster he'd been given because he didn't like what his entire professional research and graphics teams had put together. I am just stunned anyone's left who believes a single word be says.
51
While Trump has done many illegal things, LYING ABOUT A HURRICANE and it's path is beyond pathological. I live in Miami and know hurricane season because we live it every year. I watched the track of that storm from the beginning and Alabama was NEVER in the forecast. This is how people die. This is beyond horrific. Where or where are sane people in the GOP?
5
To learn from one's mistakes one must first acknowledge making them. Trump has never admitted to any imperfection in any way. In 73 years on this planet, he has learned nothing, and it shows.
3
Having just read the account of Jr. appearing on The View and claiming that he "triggered" the hosts, I have to have a hearty laugh, once again, that our dear leader was "triggered" by something as banal and unpolitical as the clarification of a weather report.
2
This is proof that Trump is crazy and dangerously insane.
3
In the Trumpverse, everything is about Trump.
No need for science, math or truth.
3
So uh, now that we have evidence that top Commerce Department aides knew that our immensely professional Alabama meteorologists were NOT responding to Trump's tweet on Hurricane Dorian (Duh), but rebuked them anyway, I have two questions:
1) Will our meteorologists be getting a formal apology?
AND
2) Who's getting fired?
In a non-crazy world, this alone would be enough to impeach him.
7
I wish they could just remove every Political Appointee from the Administration. By now it appears they all are toadies for Trump. Hopefully he is removed too.
11
If this keeps him occupied. OK. We must carry on.
Trump no doubt knows more about hurricanes than even the meteorologists, and about the math models developed based on complex thermodynamic and fluid dynamic principles.
Add that to his "proof of stable genius" list: more than generals, computer security experts, diplomats.......really "Why not drop nuclear weapons on Dorian?
6
Climate change by itself makes Trump an existential threat to human civilization and to countless species. Throw in Alabama, the Kurds, migrant children, et. al., and there's no question - Trump is the most dangerous human on earth. We and our planet would not survive four more years of this.
6
Still takes my breath away that this is where we are, and not in a good way-- in an anxious, panicked way. For the love of God, god of your choice, make this end.
8
Trump is unfit for office but duly elected by people who are happy to have someone unfit run our country
7
@Dr John
“Government is NOT the solution to our problems. Government IS the problem.”
Ronald Reagan, 1980
Dr. John, these voters who you say are happy having an unfit president running our country may live long enough to realize that governmental SABOTAGE is definitely not the answer. Wisdom and responsibility may come to even those so misguided, with the passage of time.
Giggling at the destructive antics of an erratic, unbalanced, nitwit Chief Executive for whom they voted, with fore-knowledge of his ignorance, inexperience and unfitness for office is an act of treason. Plain and simple.
7
Not only Trump, but many Republican Congressional leaders have denied scientific facts as global warming, while ignoring evidence generated by our own institutes designed to guide the country.
Note how you feel when Republican Congressmen have said things that deny scientific knowledge.
I know if it is raining, my skin feels wet. To recognize this is to acknowledge science. The way Trumpian Republicans have been speaking for the past 2 years, they might as well have been telling me "Well, you are experiencing an Alternative Way of Feeling Dry."
I intrinsically reject this, and so do you. Science comes naturally to you, if you feel your hands, your feet, and you know the difference between wet and dry.
When do we return to an America in which we use words that make sense again? The job of our mind is to make sense of our world.
We need to learn a lesson from this uneducated man in our White House, who behaves as an employee of Putin. We need to put in place additional powers for the House of Reps over the Executive Branch, such as simply taking away his budget for all communications, entertainment, special events and travel, immediately if he lies so much. It shouldn't even have to rise to the level of impeachment before somebody can rein a guy like this in.
5
The weather isn't about the President unless the President chooses to make it so. We'd just not had one so petty before.
3
Here is Florida we take Hurricane news and preparation very, very seriously. Trump does not. To him hurricanes are simply another opportunity to scam money from American taxpayers (Mara Lago damage, ha!).
Dorian was never really projected to hit Alabama but Trump was unable to say something simple like "Oops my bad." Instead he demands that NWS and NOAA support his silliness.
The mantel of the presidency has weighed heavily on most of the WH occupants. For Trump it is simply another faux reality show.
5
How is this ‘news’? How does it come as a revelation? The Weather Service and NOAA personnel involved told us exactly what happened, and did so quite some time ago. They merely conveyed accurate information to save thousands of Alabama residents unnecessary and unwarranted distress. But the welfare of others being the furthest thing from Donald Trump’s mind, he could not possibly understand it that way.
This episode - which should have passed without notice, after our President calmly admitted his careless error — was only ‘about Trump’ when Trump made it about Trump.
Which is what happens with virtually everything in Trumplandia. We’ve grown so accustomed to living with Trump’s narcissistic lunacy that it appears no one was in the least bit shocked and dismayed when Trump appeared in Kentucky a short time ago, on the eve of a gubernatorial election, and exhorted a crowd to vote for ‘his candidate,’ because if they did not, it would make Trump ‘look bad.’
‘You can’t let them do that to Trump,’ he whined and bellowed - a sentiment about as demented as one has ever heard uttered by a public figure. It’s not about the governor, or the people of Kentucky or their well-being. It’s all about Trump.
Yet that went all but unnoticed; because this sort of flagrant, florid psychopathology has become our ‘new normal.’ We’ve grown accustomed to a world gone as mad as the Mad Hatter who occupies the Oval Office.
4
So what were those 7 deadly sins again . . . pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth.
Pride (Latin: superbia) is considered, on almost every list, the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins: the perversion of the faculties that make humans more like God—dignity and holiness. It is also thought to be the source of the other capital sins. Also known as hubris (from ancient Greek ὕβρις), or futility, it is identified as dangerously corrupt selfishness, the putting of one's own desires, urges, wants, and whims before the welfare of other people.
In even more destructive cases, it is irrationally believing that one is essentially and necessarily better, superior, or more important than others, failing to acknowledge the accomplishments of others, and excessive admiration of the personal image or self (especially forgetting one's own lack of divinity, and refusing to acknowledge one's own limits, faults, or wrongs as a human being).
As pride has been labelled the father of all sins, it has been deemed the devil's most prominent trait.
1
Forecasters doing their job vs. hurting Trumps feelings? Come on already America, quit pampering his ego!
6
Those who insisted and threatened should be dismissed! Should have been terminated months ago! And trump should be charged with officially defacing the map!
2
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing."
(Apologies if I don't have the wording correct)
3
The United States of America has lost all credibility. This dumpster fire of a presidency needs to end asap. Every Republican who stands by and does nothing to stop this should never have a peaceful night's sleep again-just like the rest of the country.
4
The petty, unprofessionalism and insecurity of a President of the US is appalling.
3
The fact that POTUS has the nerve, in all his obvious ignorance of the science of meteorology (despite his abilities with a Sharpie) to interfere with our National Weather Service, NOAA, hurricane warnings, etc. just shows how low this administration has sunk. How's that Accu-Weather takeover on the NWS going by the way?
1
Reminds me of Stalin’s Lysenkoism - the politicalization of science.
2
And look where that ended.
1
My God Donald J Trump has inflicted seriously evil stupid people on the American public. An American "president" actually tried to distort reality and lie to Americans about a dangerous natural disaster while it was unfolding.
There has to be something deeply broken inside you if you can still support this man after this event alone. It's frightening that a sliver of the public still does. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they have no idea what's going on because Trump told them the rest of the world is lying about him. He then lies to their face over and over.
Suddenly the urge to give them the benefit of the doubt passes.
8
This was some third rate Orwellian stuff by Trump. Putin can't be impressed with his pupil. You need to first get all the relevant scientists on board. Threaten their jobs/family next time. Then you can markup an official weather forecast to your hearts content and everyone will play along.
And no matter the scandal (which are endless with Trump and by design; attempt to normalize the behavior) always the same lines with this criminal administration:
(1) "it never happened." This is followed by incontrovertible evidence that it did.
(2) "it's not big deal." This is followed by solid reasons it is.
(3) "it's OK if POTUS doesn't it."
2
The king can do no wrong.
2
And an exorbitant amount of pressure from..... WH?
More lies and alternate facts!! Who can believe anything anymore???
1
Wow, the craziness about this continues.
Insane administration.
1
"...Mr. Trump insisted groundlessly..."
Journalists should have this text as a shortcut in their word processors, since it is likely to be a part of any story involving trump.
2
Trump is a liar.
Let’s just let us leave it at that.
3
There is a serious omission from this article. It is absolutely a violation of NOAA policy to assert that there will be no impact from a hurricane on a region, even if the probability is only 5-10%. The reprimand of NOAA was because they announced there would be no impact on Alabama, when it was possible the storm would turn.
It is an absurdity to misrepresent that the announcement was not phrased to contradict the President by political partisans.
That would be a logical argument if what NOAA had announced was that they believed the most likely path of the storm was "X" and there was only a 10% chance Alabama would be affected.
The point is that we are dealing with a completely deluded and unstable individual with 3rd world Strongman tendencies. No other details matter.
16
@ebmem
Do you work for NOAA? Can you point to any policy whatsoever that supports your statement?
As a scientist, I will tell you that there is zero probability that the National Weather Service would issue a statement that there would be no impact from a storm unless there would be no impact.
What you are saying denigrates the integrity of scientists everywhere. I'm getting rather sick of this.
20
So by this logic, Oregon should have been under a hurricane watch. Absurd.
15
I so love this photo. It's got to be the best one to summarize the entire Trump presidency. Science and reality do not fit in with Trump's view of himself being the lone genius in the country. So he musters all of his skills to generate a counter narrative by using a Sharpie to modify an otherwise slick and professional graphic. And then he proceeds to tell the world how he really, really was right. 'Just look at this super convincing graphic. See, I told you that I was right.'
Really, this photo is beautiful in all that is says.
181
@Mr. SeaMonkey this is so well said. He is totally detached from reality when reality proves him wrong.
20
@Mr. SeaMonkey
I detest this highly cropped version of this photo.
It omits an American tragedy proceeding under Trump and the Republicans: men in fine suits, men of regal demeanor, men in uniform, and a couple of just guys, every one of them aware their Dearest Leader is making stuff up as he goes, sciencey stuff with facts and stuff, aware this stuff will have life changing/life threatening impact on hundreds, thousands of people at some future point, each of them falling all over himself to hand up the butchered map, find the missing Sharpie, nod The Solemn Nod of Endorsement to whatever their president says, to prepare to defend his every grunt and moan, more than anything else, by defaming, blaming, condemning those few Washington souls still committed to reality.
Nice shot. Good job outta Erin Schaff, for sure.
Now word comes that NOAA has fallen (or, depending upon your politics, been liberated).
No longer bound by tawdry fact, not slave to the Liberal trick of demonstrable phenomena, history, little gauges that spin around when the wind blows.
'Empirical' is too long a word for the The Right.
Another multi-gajillion dollar agency reduced to meaningless dust. They, like their country, will be decades recovering from this craven abandonment of mission, if ever they try.
Economic forecasts, reports on trade, military briefings, future plans and commitments are nothing now but confetti trampled in horse poop, all that will remain of the passing Trump parade.
10
I still find this story extremely upsetting.
I have family in Florida who were planning their evacuation if the hurricane advanced as predicted. They made reservations, just in case at a motel, in Alabama where NOAA reports assured them they would be safe.
Needless to say, the President's weather report would have been extremely upsetting if they believed it. Fortunately, they do not believe a word this president says without checking more reputable sources. Unfortunately, too many in this country take his word (and his weather reports) seriously.
242
I remember this episode pretty well because it happened when we started our summer vacation in Sydney and we had some electricity problem in our apartment. My first thought was it was a joke by Mr. Trump who did not like Alabama for several reasons, Jeff Sessions, the Senate election, etc. The following unusual extension was just unbelievable to me.
8
If further evidence were needed, Trump's unfitness for office is once again confirmed by his insistence that his impulsive (and inaccurate) comments about Hurricane Dorion be supported by the National Weather Service regardless of the negative impact on the citizens of Alabama. As is always the case with Trump, everything, first and foremost, is about him, whether it's the weather or foreign policy. What makes this event ironic is the fact that Alabama is a hotbed of Trump supporters. Nevertheless, Trump's disregard of the safety of Alabamians won't likely change the minds of any Trump true believers.
34
So this is the Marie Yovanovitch "tweet support of the President" embodiment at the National Weather Service?
6
This so-called president has destroyed the credibility of the United States of America. NOAA and the National Weather Service are minor victims. Think of all those Kurds who are now dead or displaced because they believed the pathological liar in the Oval Office.
37
Obviously NOAA did not get the memo about Presidential Infalibility and distribute it to all employees as directed. Heads will roll....
19
Let's be clear--the CEO of a company who acted like this lying charlatan would not last a day.
44
Even with massive editing in 'The Apprentice' DJT's act was inconsistent and uncompelling. On his own DJT's act is a pathetic random walk from one conspiracy theory to the next series of lies.
The impeachment inquiry may yet catch on as doubts about DJT grow within the DJT base and within the ranks of Senate and House Republicans. No amount of editing can hide election defeats in Kentucky or elsewhere, each stupid Sharpie attack on science, DJT's unimaginative recitation of sound bites on the White House lawn, or another desultory performance such as Wednesday's Lousiana rally. In his narcissistic bubble, DJT will never change his act and here is hoping his act hastens the day of his final departure from the White House.
14
So, Trump has now got the Weather Service in his pocket!! When will this end?
7
"A Strom in a tea cup" - that's for sure.
And this factoid got my attention
".which is leading one of three separate federal inquiries into the statement...?"
Not one - but three separate inquiries.
Is it really all that necessary.
I think folks are reminded of what someone wisely observed about 2016.
"His opponents take him literally but his supporters take him seriously."
I think POTUS - having canceled his Poland trip - thinking it was to hit Florida hard - wanted to rope in more of his Republican base.
Just to protect his behind or is it the flank??
To me, the lesson is simple - don't get ahead of this man's message.
End of story.
This administration is like a clown car, except when the clowns leave the car they run around to the other side to climb back in and run out again - and every other clown is Trump.
16
Best. Comment. Ever.
2
Look closely at his "hair" in the picture and you can see a hurricane gathering in it, with gale force winds swirling in the direction of Alabama.
7
This is so pathetic on so many levels and at every turn.
What can you say about a person who can NEVER admit they're wrong. The mind of a child.
33
In Individual 1's tragically narcissistic brain, *everything* is always about him, regardless of circumstances. He is constitutionally unable to see the world through any other lens.
Why millions of people would continue to think such a person is capable of running the world's most powerful nation is beyond me.
13
Not since the moment King Canute stood on the shore ordering the incoming tide to stop advancing (and, not being an idiot, Canute was more than likely only demonstrating the limits of his power) has a leader pretended to such perfect omnipotence as Donald Trump. Could we collectively be so unfortunate as to find ourselves in a time when the arc of history bends not toward justice but lunacy? This reader is fervently counting on Pelosi's congress to relieve the world of this clearly existential threat to its continued wellbeing.
21
Why would NOAA bother to try and embarrass POTUS? He does this perfectly well all by himself.
36
You have got to be kidding. OF COURSE, they were contradicting Trump.
Trump's ignorance was aimed at the integrity of the Weather Service. People down here pay attention to them. Our lives depend upon them.
Someone should take away his phone and put him in a long "time-out."
20
Just one more example of how a narcissist must make everything about himself.
Forecasting he path of a hurricane is most properly left to scientists, rather than politicians with no expertise in the area, such as DJT. Any reasonable POTUS would surely recognize this. But this man thinks he knows better than everyone else about everything, so he ignores input from anyone if he doesn't like what they are saying.
He was so determined to appear smart that he did something really dumb, got caught in the act, & angrily tried to threaten & smear all those honest public servants who had the audacity to stand up for the truth. All he accomplished was to make himself look even more ignorant than he already looks. But none of his GOP lackeys have the courage or integrity to admit it, & call him out for it.
There re no objective facts in Trump's world. He expects everyone to accept every word out of his mouth (or Twitter account) to be the whole truth & the final word on everything. The story of the Emperor's New Clothes was written with someone like DJT in mind.
15
Yes and Trump indicated Colorado would have a "wall". He's confused often and when corrected often offended. Downside of narcissism.
12
@Ann one of many downsides!
2
Trump's psychological problems, his complexes, insecurities and hang ups, don't belong in the White House, it's beyond a partisan problem. Lets hope the GOP can see the light..
9
@Jgrau the whole episode proves for the umpteenth time the GOP does NOT 'get it'.
1
Many of us have been “under the weather” ever since Trump was elected.
14
The whole Federal government is now tip-toeing around Trump's fragile super-ego. Caligula reborn?
14
Trump spends a lot of time ranting about his "enemies," but most of those enemies are of his own making. This article points out that no one was trying to embarrass Trump. They were simply trying to provide an accurate weather forecast. Trump embarrassed himself (again!) when he got himself all riled up and got out the sharpie. Sure, people don't like him and think he's a dotard, but still, most of his "enemies" are simply people who disagree with him. He manufactures that into big events that he must talk about endlessly. If he was less self-involved, he might realize that everyone in politics is disliked by somebody. He's the only president that can't seem to grasp that.
8
As long as everyone in government is afraid of him, he's winning. And, despite their lame statements, NOAA is afraid of him, to their everlasting shame.
10
If their intention was not to contradict Trump, that makes everything about this much worse.
We have shameful evidence of military geniuses and heroes, politicians, lawyers, judges, cabinet people, diplomats all afraid to to speak their minds or the truth to the nasty martinet in the Oval Office.
Of course most amusing is the military he-men-of-action prancing about the Joint Chiefs offices and various theaters around the globe cowering, making obvious their squishy obsequiousness.
Trump was right, they are His Generals. Worthless panderers to a man. No wonder we keep losing everything.
This is the worst imaginable circumstance for the country.
These weather guys should have plainly come out and said what they said, and never apologized for it. And stood forthright for their exclusive allegiance to the weather truth as they know it to be, regardless what Trump, or anybody, has to say about it.
7
Funny how this strikes a chord. Trump wants rid of smart people with skills. (See the move of the Dept. of Agriculture.)
He models himself on Putin, who doesn't like honest intelligence either: "Russia Raided a Physics Institute. Kremlin Watchers Are Mystified. The armed operation targeting scientists in Moscow prompted outrage and questions about over-the-top actions by the country’s increasingly aggressive security forces." https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/world/europe/russia-raid-physics-institute.html
6
Ms. Friedman's and Mr. Walker's time and resources would have been much better invested in providing us a follow-up article on Bahamas recovery efforts post-Dorian.
Just sayin'.
2
I don't think he realizes how smart we are - we can see the sharpie!
4
This is a very serious story that must not disappear in the perpetual Trump maelstrom. From start to finish, it is stand-alone proof that he is utterly unfit for any position of responsibility. Seriously, I will never get over the fact that, in addition to every other ignorant, negligent, dishonest, malignant, harmful, ego-driven, and brazen element of his behavior, he actually sat in the Oval Office and showed the nation a conspicuously falsified weather map.
11
That DJT and his minions reacted as they did to the Alabama NWS shows just how small minded they are. They will not be missed when they are gone, come 1/20/21.
6
This is a slippery slope. An administration who embraces the phrase "truth isn't truth" can do anything they wish to any federal employee.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has very strict guidelines on just cause for firing any employees. Telling the truth is NOT one of the criteria.
Mulvaney can extract revenge for truth telling by reducing the NOAA budget by 25, 35 or 50% because an appointed administrator from the private sector will just put a rubber stamp on the budget as a Orange Monarch minion.
Telling the truth has consequences, but it should not when it comes to professionals in the scientific community.
4
How is better for Trump that the correction was not directed at what he said, but rather it was directed to the hundreds of people that unnecessarily panicked by what he said?
2
“Mr. Trump was furious and insisted for days that he had been correct. He displayed or posted outdated maps, including one that had been apparently altered with a Sharpie pen to make it look like Alabama had been in the path of the storm.”
Yes, and the whole time he was doing this, the actual hurricane was hammering the Carolinas. But Trump is the sort of person you cannot argue with or correct, because he lives in an alternate universe where he is never wrong. Democrat or Republican, facts are facts. Meteorologists don’t forecast the weather by standing around throwing darts at a map. They use this amazing thing called SCIENCE. And the Birmingham meteorologists are some of the finest professionals in the business. You will be hard-pressed to find a person in Alabama who doesn’t trust James Spann with his or her life. Our meteorologists are that revered because we experience some rather dangerous weather conditions in Alabama. These meteorologists are so skilled and have so much geographic knowledge of Alabama that they can pinpoint exact streets when a tornado is approaching to help people know when to take shelter.
What Trump did with the Sharpie, when a simple “I misspoke” would’ve handled it, was not only outrageous, it sought to undermine the credibility of meteorologists who have no political motivations at all in keeping Alabamians safe. He owes them all an apology and he would also benefit by downloading the Stack the States geography game onto his iPhone.
14
Trump looking at the phony map, and believing that it's the "truth". Perhaps this should be added to the standard Rorschach test?
So what do YOU see on that map?
4
Trump has told more than 13,000 lies but the one about a hurricane hitting Alabama was one too many-you can’t fool Mother Nature and the people,who rely on the weather Service to explain it to us-a sharply marked map just doesn’t do it.
2
When is NOAA going to speak the truth and state the obvious - Trump was wrong in his storm prediction and should avoid that in the future ?
2
Of course for the forecasters it was not about Trump. But for Trump it was about Trump.
5
Rule 1 - The boss is always right.
Rule 2 - If the boss is wrong, see Rule 1.
1
This article brings attention to the power of announcements and declarations of the POTUS.
Born during the Truman administration, Donald Trump is the 13th man to serve as president during my lifetime.
We Americans stubbornly cling to positive beliefs concerning the decency, honesty and integrity of high governmental officials, particularly our president.
We do this for a variety of reasons, most notably the terror we feel from the very idea that of a man of low character could wield the awesome power and authority of the American presidency. It is nearly unthinkable.
I clearly remember the dismay and disappointment in President Nixon that the people around me expressed during Watergate.
This story about the Mr. Trump’s bizarre reaction to being contradicted about a hurricane hitting Alabama is just one example of his irrationality and unpresidential behavior.
All in all, the chaos of the past three years, the deceit and contradictions and incompetence of Trump, make the worst of the Nixon years seem mild by comparison. The lies!!!
The childishness of taking a Sharpie and altering a weather map showing that ferocious storm’s probable path!
At some point, every conscientious American voter must face the question, “Does Trump deserve the loyalty and repect I have shown to the other presidents I’ve lived under?”
This is not an easy or a pleasant task. But it is one we must face. We are surely living through a strange and terrible time in the history of our country.
7
"Hurricane Tweet That Angered Trump Wasn’t About Trump, Forecasters Say"
Wrong. EVERYTHING's about Trump if it risks hurting his delicate feelings.
Thank you, skilled and dedicated professionals at NOAA. Hoping this bad dream of an administration will end after the next election so you can continue your work, undisturbed by the risk of contradicting a powerful narcissist.
6
"...how the weather can turn political..."
This about says it all, given the current climate. No pun there.
What's next, politicizing air? Oh wait, that's already under way isn't it. (cf environmental rollbacks)
1
The worst of it is that all of NOAA was tarnished and made to look horrible by the whole incident. The level of trust in NOAA was diminished through no fault of the scientists but through the ignorance of the political appointees at high levels. Trust is easy to lose and hard to regain.
3
This article shows an example, one of many, many examples of Trump's personality disordered behavior needlessly causing chaos in ordinary government functions. I saw Senator Graham in an interview say that there could have been no quid pro quo in the Ukraine affair because the administrations behavior was in his words "incoherent". Next we will have a Senate trial where the president's defenders will be espousing the insanity defense.
First alternate facts, then don't believe what you hear him say, believe what he has in his heart. Then Article II allows me to do anything. There is a progression here that will leave the Republican establishment further and further removed from sanity. Trump was always an unhinged narcissist. He was elected president. The preponderance of Republicans still support him, nothing that he has done while in office has changed that. Trumplicans are following him out on a limb toward disaster by rejecting truth, science and ethical behavior.
4
Being president does not make anybody immune from the truth.
Endangering people's lives and deceiving them is not OK.
It's time to realize the evidence is overwhelming, on every front, that a sleazy conman should not be in charge of a reality that matters to every living thing on earth.
5
I wish the media would stop paying attention to trump, shut down his twitter account and ignore him altogether. The nation would breathe an enormous sigh of relief.
5
While they chastise NOAA, the fine people of the state of Alabama will vote for Trump.
2
This is presented like a contradiction but was exactly the story that came out at the time.
1
I think it would be in everyone’s best interests if we could all ignore the rancid, bloated ego of the Twitler in Chief and just told the truth and at least tried to play by the rules. A radical idea these days, I know, but what a concept.
4
Of course they weren't responding to Trump. Not everything is about Trump. Not everyone puts him at the center of everything they do. They were trying, as professionals, to give their best information to people about the storm. They don't always do that perfectly. But that's a separate question from what they consider when they are doing their jobs. Trump is President, but he's not one of the factors in determining the cone.
1
I think Trump voter's overall concern is their absolute distrust of "The Government" writ large. What they love about Trump is that he will go out of his way at every turn to tear down what they see as an entrenched enemy of the people. Tearing down NOAA is a perfect example. Where they got this motivation is probably from the decades of misinformation coming out of their trusted "fair and balanced" news source. They ultimately deserve the dystopian result they get but the rest of us do not.
12
Last week, on a flight from Sydney to LAX, I binged watched the miniseries "Chernobyl". One of the most disturbing aspects was the description of the suppression of scientific expertise by the Soviet government for political purposes. The government denied there was a disaster, refused to listen to experts, delayed evacuation of the city of Pripyat. These actions aggravated the disaster, leading to increased deaths and subsequent mortality and morbidity (increased cancer rates, birth defects) among citizens in the Chernobyl area.
Could it happen here, if a disaster occurs that happens to be politically inconvenient to the current administration? I think we know the answer, see climate change. Ironically, Chernobyl is in the Ukraine.
18
The good scientists at NOAA should not even have to *consider* the president's fragile ego when presenting the public with the information that they need to be safe. Even if he thinks it does, the world does not revolve around him and people's lives should not be subject to his misinformed whims.
37
I regard this incident as Trump's most serious offense. The Weather Bureau's mandate is to forecast the weather as accurately as current technology and science will allow. People's lives and technology depend on it. For the President to interfere with such predictions seems to be an impeachable offense.
44
Pinocchio meets Nero. How long before he starts claiming to be divine?
81
@Costa Botes well, he already thinks that he is God's gift...
2
@Costa Botes Gee, I thought he had. ;-0
4
I thought he had already.
4
Waiting on his decree about evolution.
60
@PubliusMaximus He has to speak to Pence first, who will no doubt remind him that intelligent design is what the schools should teach...
4
@PubliusMaximus
He'll day that he descended from an ubermensch, while Democrats descended from the apes.
1
it's always about trump
39
I am really tired of all news and events being reflected and evaluated in the context of this infantile man's tweets and tantrums. His opinions hold ansolutely no interest for me. I long for a time when life would hum along without having to endure the ravings of an insecure, unqualified idiot expressing his opinions and outrage at every turn
131
@Deborah Schneider It is tiring everyday hearing about this dangerous president. But it's also important and essential that his conduct be exposed. This story might seem inconsequential on it's face but it is anything but. For one, a lot of damage could have been done to people believing they needed to flee the storm. But probably worse, the fact that we now cannot trust the national weather service because bureaucrats will deny science and reality itself in order to appease a vain and unstable leader. The sky is red, up is down, the emperor has no clothes and his minions insist he is dressed in the finest attire.
43
@Paul
The sky often is red, at sunset, which might be an appropriate metaphor.
1
@Paul nailed it
Of course it wasn't about Trump. It was a mere statement of facts. But to a narcissist and liar like Trump, that's a direct affront.
53
Rule #1 about a narcissist: Everything is about the narcissist.
Rule #2 about a narcissist: EVERYTHING is about the narcissist.
76
Good god. Why was this article even necessary? NOAA should not have to 'justify' a weather forecast. They are scientists and they report what they see. And that should be the end of it.
99
@AMM because an entire political party has rejected science. They think it’s merely a belief system.
6
@AMM SHOULD have been the end of it. Read what
Paul from New Jersey wrote 2 hours ago
2
POTUS is not a mother. How could he possibly believe he's always right?
17
@cc
Beg to disagree.
Where I come from, Mother is only half a word.
5
A healthy mind and ego would have admitted the mistake of including Alabama in the tweet and apologized for creating undue stress. That would have been it - over and done. Instead, the "infallible" Mr. Trump must always be right regardless of the costs and the sycophants in his administration scurry to cover up his mistakes.
The professionals at the NOAA deserve our thanks for trying to avert panic and stress. They do not deserve the scorn heaped upon them by the Trump administration.
Note to Trump: contact Pope Francis about "infallibility" and the Pope will tell you that "infallibility" only refers to Church doctrine. As a mere mortal, the Pope is prone to making mistakes like the the rest of us.
40
@Quinn
A healthy mind and ego would have been content to leave the forecasting and the warnings to the government agencies whose job it is to handle those things, and not need to be the town crier for every event that happens during the course of the day.
26
@Quinn
Trump will never say "My bad", even on his deathbed.
@ Quinn-
Town crier? Town whiner is more like it.
1
It wasn't about him? HA! It's ALWAYS about him, in his mind.
21
How low will people go to stay in this guy’s good graces? This pretty much sums it up. We’re okay with him cutting off FEMA funds for CA wildfire victims for political reasons? Puerto Rico? Picking and choosing which victims of violence to act sympathetic toward? The list could be endless. The question is, what is ‘off’ with so many US citizens that have lost their way?
41
@MaryToo What is "off" is Faux News. It's so disconcerting that so many citizens do not understand civics or the Constitution, and do not hear any news except that which is filtered through despicable sites, including Facebook.
5
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
― George Orwell, 1984
56
@Gene clocks do strike 13:00.
4
Dear lord this is tiresome. The president believes that everything, even the weather, is about him and goes into his best Queen of Hearts impression ("off with their heads") if the weather disagrees with him.
He can't talk about the media without saying 'fake news.' He can't talk about political opponents without giving them an infantile nickname. He can't entertain a single thought in his head (I might end the sentence right there, but) without tweeting it out.
I guess I would have to admit that most of the criminals I have known have some pretty serious mental issues, but this is the president of the United States, people.
How long can we tolerate this?
87
@ Justin-
How long can we tolerate this?!
I never could. And I never will.
Impeachment or election- he’s gone as far as I’m concerned.
2
Narcissistic personality disorder combined with deep ignorance is the formula for toxic leadership, and a failed presidency.
My god it was not all about him! People in harms way need reliable information that is accurate and trustworthy. Trump lacks empathy, he does not recognize the damage and suffering he causes. He is oblivious, devious, and reflexively self- serving. He is easy to manipulate if he believes one is saying something flattering about him, he is not educated or the sharpest tool in the shed. Betraying the country out of vanity or for personal gain.
25
no one's embarrassing Mr. Trump he's embarrassing himself.
34
This administration is such a colossal disaster that I had totally forgotten about this. Imagine if Obama Sharpiegated a weather map. Fox would still, still, still be talking about it. I'll take a tan suit over this lunacy any day.
55
How many times has Trump insisted that his false narratives are the truth? You know, his prolonged lying about Obama's birth certificate. And about the Central Park Five. Why do we believe anything he says? Paying attention to his false bluster is like suddenly finding yourself lost in the puzzling fog of a far off planet - hoping that a teeny, tiny ray of light will appear - to beam you back to the real world.
25
@kbw ... and don't forget --- on Day One of what he thought of as his coronation, he lied to the world about his crowd size. Day One! .. and it's only gotten worse by the minute.
3
This is the kind of thing that should get Trump removed from office. He is tearing down the institutions and agencies that hereto have been informed by data and dedicated to the needs of citizens. He's doing it to feed his own ego because he considers himself a supreme power, above the law and more important than the welfare of this country. And the evil minions that would require a scientific organization to lie in order to feed that ego are like toadies falling all over themselves to serve the whims and tantrums of a Little Lord Fauntleroy . . . or the "Dear Leader" of communist North Korea. Trump's destruction of our system of government and the institutions we depend on for our safety and welfare is what makes him impeachable, no matter what his policies are.
20
@E - The character of Little Lord Fauntleroy was actually a good kid with a kind heart.
If you tell the truth, even about the weather, you are on the wrong side of Failed 45.
17
" even when his positions are at odds with scientific facts. "
HAH! He does NOT believe in science FACT. EVER.
He's the most scientifically illiterate president in the history of this country. He probably went to the Sharpie company after this incident to "wet his beak". THAT'S who this person is.
16
You don't understand - it doesn't matter. All that matters is that trump doesn't feel offended or contradicted.
What's that you say? That the messenger wasn't even aware of what Trump had said? Irrelevant.
Confusing? Very simple. If trump says that blue is the best color; then love blue. If trump says that blue is actually green; then love that blue green. And if you inadvertently said that red is best, 'cause you didn't get the blue and green memos; well just kiss your family good bye and accept your punishment. You should have known.
That's how things worked in the Stalinist Soviet Union - that's how things work in Trump USA.
21
The Republican perversion of truth rears its ugliness again. But sane, informed Americans - the majority of us - easily recognize it and will no longer tolerate this administration’s depravity and criminality. Vote in 2020!
14
@DK the majority of Americans didn't vote for him in the first place. Most of us saw this coming in 2015 when he announced. Until we get rid of the electoral college this man could get four more years. And if he does they won't be more of the same, he will be so emboldened that they will be far worse.
It's always about him....
.....even when it's not.
12
Is there anything, ANYTHING about which this president doesn't know more than the experts? It is bad enough that he has worked to bend the traditions and laws of America to his will. He now seems intent on bending the laws of physics too.
16
The Trump administration is a complete, unrelenting, clown show.
Any thinking American should be completely embarrassed by their leadership. The fact so many aren't is an indictment of his supporters.
17
"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone." Rod Serling
We have surely arrived.
28
@ Andy-
Rod Serling must be spinning in his grave over this insanity.
Only a semantic distinction, given how often speaking the truth and contradicting Trump are pretty much the same thing.
16
There is something deeply frightening about the spectacle of senior appointed government officials directing one its most facts-reliant agencies to broadcast nonsense merely to placate the temper of a President who appears to be convinced he is always right no matter what.
277
@Joel Lazewatsky
NOAA was never directed to broadcast nonsense. they were reprimanded for falsely asserting that there was no chance that Alabama would be affected by the hurricane, which was a false statement when made.
Regions close to areas hit by hurricanes experience heavy rains and winds even if the severity of the impact does not qualify as a rated hurricane. So hospitals, manufacturing plants, nursing homes needed to make sure they had fuel for their generators and evacuation plans in place just in case.
This article constitutes fake news.
1
@Joel Lazewatsky I think human nature makes us kowtow to the strongman..I hope we evolve beyond that - perhaps Trump will help us see ourselves better, and to design better societies that don't allow such sycophancy and greed to underlie everything we do..Or perhaps not..Have we ever been better, more moral, more truthful, kinder and gentler to each other and to the world?..I think those societies have been wiped out, without a mark left from their passing.
3
@Joel Lazewatsky What is frightening is how Republicans are complicit in this charade. It looks like Trump should have not run for President and instead he would be taking out ridiculous ads in the NY Times instead of using a sharpie to change the path of a hurricane.
8
"Hurricane Tweet That Angered Trump Wasn’t About Trump, Forecasters Say"
Well, yeah, but unfortunately, for the time being, it's all about Trump.
No matter what it is, it will be about Trump.
He'll make sure of that himself.
17
One need not “intend” to contradict Trump. Reality itself, having no intentions of any kind, is nevertheless constantly contradicting Trump’s absurdities. The only way to avoid contradicting Trump is to subordinate one’s observations of objective reality to his “alternative facts” and/or “truthful hyperbole.” Short of that, conflicting with Trump on “messaging” is inevitable (as even many of his handpicked appointees have discovered).
15
So true. The very truth itself contradicts Trump. Every single time.
Personally, I think this was about halfway to being impeachment-worthy by itself, certainly worth Congressional censure. I can forgive an honest mistake, such as the original misstatement that Alabama might have been impacted. But Trump's actions after that were disgraceful. He put people's lives at risk, he politicized an organization that needs to have people's implicit trust, and he did it for the sole purpose of satisfying his own ego.
He is not fit to serve, and the sooner he's gone, the better.
48
@Tony I was so infuriated and flabbergasted by it that I wrote to my Republican senator, asking him to make Trump issue an apology to the NOAA Birmingham. Did he respond? No way. Spending the Fourth of July in Russia tends to make seasoned politicians forget who they are, I suppose.
19
Even when Trump and his "gang" are gone from the political scene, the damage they have inflicted on not just our country, but on the free world, will not be repaired any time soon. The divisions are deep, the anger barely controllable, and it will take years to cleanse the stench left behind by the GOP and their cohorts.
14
A safe bet would be to say if Dorian had been on track to hit New York, the stable meteorological genius would have said nothing.
8
And he probably is enjoying the California fires! I really wonder if this country will survive his term in office.
So they didn’t intend to contradict Trump because they didn’t know that he had said anything or what he had said, but they most certainly DID intend to contradict the absolute nonsense assertion that Trump made?
Right. Understood.
4
My interpretation of "Sharpiegate" led to a different conclusion. Sure, the black sharpie incorrectly line shows Dorian as hitting Alabama. Likewise the white sharpie to the east of the black line incorrectly shows Dorian going towards Alabama.
But review the timeline: The NOAA map has an X for the actual location of Dorian on THURSDAY, AUGUST 29TH. Everything after that is projection. The President showed this map in the Oval Office on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST. This is three days later and of course the storm moved during those three days and took an arc in a more northerly direction. The projections for Monday, Tuesday, etc. would also have been revised, showing a track no where near Alabama.
The problem is not that the President was lying, it is that updated information is not properly flowing into the White House. The issue in this case is chaos, not deceit.
1
Alan, "Updated information" is available to anyone in the entire world with access to the internet, television or radio. It's 2019, not 1919.
26
@Alan
Respectfully Disagree, I believe Trump cherry picked the 3 day old trajectory map indeed because it was the only one that had any potential of continuing west into Alabama; the updated maps (already available were purposely ignored to go one that offered at least a weak defense).
So, what I noticed was a disgraced president make a simple gaf, and rather than having the courage to own his mistake, and correct the record; he choose to double down on a mistake which turned into misleading citizens and causing unnecessary fear. Pathetic at it's best!
3
@Alan Ridiculous. Trump should be wise enough (but of course he's NOT) to be sure he has the latest information. If the White House is as dysfunctional and as poorly staffed (mostly by sycophants) as all reports suggest, it's HIS fault information doesn't get to him in a timely manner. Criminy, maybe he could've just turned a TV on???
In his 73 years, has he not learned to be sure he has valid information? We both know the answer to that one, don't we?
3
Trump and his supporters live in an alternate reality where his inauguration crowds were bigger than Obama's, his Electoral College victory was one of the biggest, there was no quid pro quo, our booming economy is his doing rather than something he inherited from Obama and has managed not to mess up -- yet, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are corrupt and he isnt, he never endorses candidates like Bevin or Roy Moore who go on to lose, and Democrat's dislike of his policies is really just hatred of him because they lost and, unlike him, are sore losers.
If Trump can get his supporters to not step outside this alternate reality and evaluate it in the light of fake news and fake news in its light, his chances of reelection are good. But even if he loses, he will leave millions of people convinced that he really won and that the victory was stolen from him, and they will gum up our politics for years to come.
13
This is actually the most important story of the summer.
It provided clear insight into Trump's mental processing.
Typical brains have pathways that allow us to understand how others will perceive a situation. Trump showed the press a map with a Sharpie line thinking it would clear him.
He also thought it was the perfect phone call.
He also did not know he had given Erdogan the green light to invade.
It is a new sign of declining mental capacity.
21
Is there any surprise that the scientists and forecasters at the NHC don't know what is going on in the President's Twitterverse? That he exists in the Twitterverse is lost on many hardworking experts who are not engaged in Social Media during their workdays. Take his phone and the Sharpies away!
6
I am surprised that this is a subject of discussion at this time. I don't know on what page of the paper edition did it appear but I have to assume that it received more prominence than the news about Hillary's email issues coming to an oficial end. Trump said something incorrect at the time (trying to gain some political points with Alabamians} and the whethermen wanted to make sure no one was confused by bad information about a hurricane. There was nothing else to it. Trump's reaction was dumb as usual.
2
This should be one of the articles of impeachment, because of its great potential to do harm. In issuing a Presidential Order to Hurricane Dorian to hit Alabama (which Dorian dutifully ignored, instead obeying the laws of physics and meteorology as accurately predicted by the NWS) Trump endangered those where Dorian actually did hit by having them let their guard down. That's what this scandal comes down to - endangering people's lives on an ignorant, selfish whim. Lock him up!
12
It's hard to fathom how even the most ardent trump supporter would look at this and not say "OK...I'm out!"
11
It falls into the "faith" category. No evidence required or accepted. That's why it's called faith.
9
The fact that this even needs to be said much less an article written about tells you how fragile Trump is. Have we EVER had a president who wanted to argue about the weather?!
17
If Mr. Trump told me the weather was sunny and clear, I'd carry an umbrella.
11
I wonder if the Democrats will be smart enough to assemble stuff like this and make Twitter and Facebook ads to help the public understand what is going on.
8
I am reminded of the story "The Emperor's New Clothes". It would be funny if this man weren't a clear danger to the republic, every day, in all of his unhinged attacks, absurd flights of illogic, deep love of unfounded conspiracy theories, etc., etc...
8
This problem would never have occurred if the folks of Alabama learned to ignore whatever Donald Trump says, knowing that it is almost always a lie.
Here in California, which is considered a "Trump Free Zone", almost no one watches or listens to anything this con man is spinning.
6
You know Trump made them say this. He probably threatened to tweet mean things about them.
2
Everything is about TRUMP. The Imperial Genius says so therefore it's true.
1
Even in regard to weather, I mean really, weather?, these bureaucrats tremble before this long-known clown. I still just don't get it.
10
It is disgusting how the entire republican party has rolled over for their dear leader, and are willing to chastise those who point out when his statements are contradicted by facts. The party deserves to be driven from every office in the land for a generation.
15
This entire episode is insane and encapsulates much of what is wrong with Trump's Presidency.
11
NOAA and the governmental scientific agencies and scientists need to be protected by legislation that holds them and their superiors, including the president, to the same standard that prevents an individual in the military from obeying an illegal order.
8
It's just astonishing that these "top level political appointees" are so utterly sycophantic to Trump that they will go against the true professionals in the agencies that they lead in order to support their Dear Leader, even when that Dear Leader is 100% wrong. That is the definition of sycophant. And it is 100% corruption of the administration. These people do not deserve to pretend to be public servants. - they are no such thing. They are just pathetic political hacks for Trump.
As far as I am concerned, Trump can be impeached, convicted and tossed out for this one incident. His action is a true abuse of his power of office and a corrupt action against the American People.
446
@Joe Rock bottom Lock him up.
38
@Joe Rock bottom
Amen to this being impeachable -- an undeniable lie by the prez to the entire nation, captured on video.
BTW, if you study trump's doctored map, you'll see that it's completely bogus. The added area over Alabama isn't mentioned in the key at the bottom and it doesn't include a hurricane position icon, as do the other areas. Most importantly, that added area is *impossible* because it doesn't correctly expand the *cone* of uncertainty to a wider area. Such a lame and obvious fraud.
14
@Joe Rock bottom
"As far as I am concerned, Trump can be impeached, convicted and tossed out for this one incident."
It meets the definition of high winds and misleaders.
14
Is this the Soviet Union or the U.S.A.?
Remarkable that Trump's supporters - who one would assume would be freedom loving Russia antagonists - just don't care.
Then again Republicans are notorious for their antipathy to science - hence their decades long blockade of anything to do with Climate Change
63
More like Turkey, Hungary.......
If you think it's bad now, just wait and see what happens if Trump gets re-elected after being given a pass on Impeachment by the Republican Party.
We will all live in an insane world governed by POTUS view of reality.
75
@Richard Gordon "Tomorrow is promised to no man." Clint.
2
@Richard Gordon OhpleasegodNO.
4
Truly frightening, my greatest fear!! Donnie will have NO restraints, his erratic nature will escilate
2
All the confusion, wasted effort, time and resources due to the hurt ego of one narcissist in the WH, whose highest duty is actually to serve and protect the country.
He couldn't care less if his tweets resulted in the real loss of lives -- as long as they exalt his 'great unmatched wisdom'.
69
This incident perfectly illustrates the danger Trumps collection of personality disorders poses. A mistake in communication, easily dealt with as “POTUS mis-spoke”. No need for panic, certainly no need for the circus that followed and absolutely no need to recklessly impinge the required public confidence in a scientific institution. But Trump cannot admit to mistakes.
Any man (or woman) that cannot admit to mistakes, regardless of how small, cannot course correct. The info Trump initially mis-spoke about was at least 48hours out of date), instead of changing his advice, he embarked upon a ludicrous course of action with a Sharpie, potentially panicking residents. Panic can be just as much a danger as a storm. Any person who cannot change their course of action when the facts change poses a danger to those around him. The more power that person has, then obviously the danger they can pose increases. When it is POTUS, those dangers multiply exponentially. When the public confidence in such a life saving institution is harmed for the petty emotions of embarrassment and ego - you have an example of a man willing to put his own emotional needs above the safety of his people. On this occasion the consequences can be handled. But consider the harm the Commander In Chief could inflict were his ego come up against the safety of troops or national security. Trumps temperament, immaturity and selfishness alone pose a danger to us all.
29
@Emma-Jayne While I share your opinion as expressed in your comment there is one small point I must disagree with. You state "you have an example of a man willing to put his own emotional needs above the safety of his people."
A vast majority of the people in the USA are NOT "his people".
9
This is incredibly ridiculous. It seems like politically correct nonsense to protect the sensitivities of Republican snowflakes.
I accept that the forecasters had not seen Trump's tweets (because they say so), but who cares? Trump was wrong, created a danger, was corrected, acted like a petulant, stubborn, misguided baby, and demanded not to be humiliated for his humiliating acts. Typical Trump!
Don't "report" on this anymore. We know what happened, and why. Our infantile "president " had another tantrum based on his own incompetence. Next crisis, please!
63
In the wealth (not sure about that word) of serious news about the crassness and criminality of this man we forget about this low level idiocy. He listens to scientists who tell him when there will be an eclipse or the airspeed of that new fighter but if he doesn't like it, they are wrong. Remember this is a stable genius who knows more than his generals so why should scientists be excepted? How stupid do you have to be to lie about stuff that can easily be checked? Most people grow out of this around the age of four.
32
@Andrew - Well, there's your answer. Trump right now is a two-year-old throwing toys around the nursery and show no signs of growing out of it.
8
I wonder what the kids of these individuals who refuse to stand up for science and against the fool in the White House will tell their friends?
19
He has to make everything about him
It's both scary and weird
39
It's unfortunate that POTUS makes everything about him.
11
When embarrassed, blame someone else. Mr. Trump made an egregious mistake and did not have enough confidence in himself to admit it. Of course, when you're King, and you still don't know why or why the people were fool enough to make yourself King, you're very sensitive to any perceived mistake.
The whole thing is so ridiculous -- but even worse the people who forced the issue really do believe that Mr. Trump is King.
18
What a shameful, potentially dangerous episode. Like a cartoon, trump must be right at all costs. His dummy political minions back him. George Orwell, here we come. People can be hurt by this kind of political face saving. Why are we governed by these goons?
19
A government agency, doing it's job to protect the lives of the American public, releases factual information...
....and the President's only - let's repeat that - only concern is how it makes him look foolish.
Future generations will look back and wonder, by what logic did a major political party in the United States ever think this was normal behavior for the nation's Commander in Chief?
Sad, GOP, just sad.
390
@Neander
When you get away with increasingly outrageous behavior for so long, as has the GOP, you eventually reach a tipping point. We hope.
9
@Neander
"A government agency, doing it's job to protect the lives of the American public,"
A.K.A., the Deep State.
9
@Neander Future generations won't read about this if American continues down this path.
13
Is any thinking person really surprised by this story? The nation has become inured to behavior that just a few years ago would have created a full-blown firestorm of controversy. As noted by previous comments below, science is science and we cannot afford to ignore facts or allow this kind of conduct to become any more normalized than it has already become.
24
@Tobin
The sad truth is those who support Trump so strongly have been for years yelling about the behavior of public officials, how there is no accountability, they are all horrified at the lack of morality in the public square (especially Evangelical Christians), yet they are supporting a president viruntly who is the exact antithesis of what they claim they believe. I am sure all the 'good' people who support Trump are saying "what's the big deal, so some geeks got their nose bent out of joint", they are saying "we didn't elect a moralist in chief, we elected a president", and all the other evasions they make.
It is funny, these same people accuse "liberals and democrats" of wanting to recreate the USSR, when Trump in many ways is a twin of what Stalin was like. If Stalin said the moon was made of green cheese, it was; if Stalin's pet scientist claimed that if you planted sugar around wheat plants, the seeds from that wheat would be sweeter, and so forth; If Stalin said quantum theory was wrong, it was.
I wonder how the trash that supports them are going to feel when Trump does something like this and people die, like for example, a storm is heading towards some area, NOAA says it is going to be an epic storm, Trump declares it is no big deal, doesn't mobilize FEMA, and a lot of people die, how will they feel then? Like with climate change, I wonder how blase they will be when it affects them.
4
Who cares. Why it's news to anyone (except Trump) that the world does not, in fact, revolve around Trump is beyond me. Alabamans need accurate information to prepare for disasters and avoid unnecessary panic and disruption. End of story, at least as it concerns the Birmingham office.
Trump's reckless spreading of inaccurate information and the subsequent politicization of the whole thing is the story, not whether the Birmingham office cared about contradicting the president or not. Of course, he couldn't stand to be demonstrably wrong about something so he pulled the Sharpie out. That's on him, not on anyone else.
34
This is just once example of a brouhaha that arose out of one Donald Trump's personality defects. The Ukraine/Biden/DNC server issue is another example. Donald Trump cannot admit any wrong and cannot let any slight rest. This hurricane event was laughable and pathetic, but other events like coercing a foreign leader to chase down debunked conspiracy theories are serious and dangerous. This man with major personality defects is one of the most powerful men in the world. That should make everyone very nervous. He can wield nuclear weapons as well as a Sharpie, and may use either of them for capricious reasons few sane people can fathom.
34
@Jim Dennis Periodically, I remember that line from the Stephen King book/movie, with Martin Sheen as deranged president Greg Stillson, "The missiles are flying!".
4
Of course, "officials there were intent on embarrassing Mr. Trump," because he wasn't doing a good enough job of it all by himself!
30
They should have been able to forecast his reaction because Trump always makes everything about himself.
14
Isn't that illegal to falsify projections of the US government weather forecasting office? One has to wonder why no one has sued Mr. Trump for such a brazen violation of the law of the land?
Mr. Trump violated US election laws in 2016 when he publicly invited Russia to interfere in the US election, stating:
“Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing”
If someone had gone after him at that time, not only he might not be the POTUS today, but he could have been taught a valuable lesson for the rest of his life.
12
Yes but he Sharpied on and showed days-old charts/graphics, so no charges in this case.
There’s an excellent episode of “Can He Do That?” (a WaPo podcast) about it titled, “What happens when a president overrides science?”
3
If Trump decrees that Up is Down, then it is so and dissent will not be tolerated...
13
@Andrew 2+2=5.
8
Which is why trade wars are so easy to win.
7
@Andrew The earth is flat. Because he said so.
2
I don’t know what all the fuss is about this matter. Obviously Trump intervened and made the hurricane move north and put Alabama out of harm’s way.
30
What is it about Trump that a "top level political appointee" cannot just say - 'You are wrong and we are not going to dispute the Weather Service. Period.' A normal person would do that because it is the right thing to do. Indeed, a normal, rational, moral person would resign rather than do the despicable things these political hacks did. These hacks are not normal. They are weak and corrupt and do not deserve to be in any position that affects the lives of the American People. And that includes the "president."
88
@Joe Rock bottom
They have the power of the office of the Presidency. Trump is easy to manipulate and they can get a lot done around him.
Think about the call to Ukraine transcript. Trump thought it was fine. His staff, on the other hand did a cover-up. The main thing they are covering for is Trumps continuing mental decline.
7
And now we have scientists and professionals engaging in Stalin-era circumlocution to avoid even the appearance of contradicting Mr. Great-I-Am.
46
@Steve Paradis: Correct. The question is...why? Why are so many lemmings enabling this behavior? There are Al-Anon meetings for family members who act like this. He couldn’t get away with one bit of it if half of the US didn’t enable him.
3
And I've just watched McConnell saying on TV - "Mr President, thanks for making America great again." Exactly what planet is he living on? The rest of the world is laughing at this President and the fools who publicly approve.
188
@Andrew , now, now, “Moscow Mitch” is just following orders from his boss.
4
It was about telling the truth which unfortunately means contradicting Trump because there is never a time when he doesn't lie
14
Trump makes everything about himself anyway, even if it's not the original intend of a communication.
That's what a narcissist does!
10
In Trump's mind, *everything* is about Trump.
7
So what if the twitter message was meant to chastise Trump for his fibbing?
Are we still talking about this incident several weeks after it happened?
Why is the national weather service bending over backwards to explain away their very appropriate response to this lying president?
16
Does anyone inside NOAA communicate with one another?
3
I never understood the rational, the why, for Trump's insistence that Alabama should be in the path of a hurricane? Was he self-forcasting? Did he make pre hurricane promises for special disaster relief for his favored constituents? Must the Presidents fragile ego be smoothed at all cost?
As usual, this is not normal.
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@Edward B. "As usual, this is not normal."
Perfect!
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@Edward B. Don’t you remember that he referred to Alabama as a special place? He concocted a situation with the hurricane showing that he cared for the people there since most of them voted for him.
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@Edward B.
It is another manifestation of the mental defect that keeps Trump insisting on the reality of his hallucination of thousands of muslims dancing on the roofs of apartment buildings in Jersey City as the towers fell. To quote the deluded creatures of Animal Fram, "If Napoleon said it, it must be right."
1
Wrong facts, especially from a president, have real consequences, seen and unseen.
We must stay safe, sticking to the facts, the truth, science as best we can know it, and then acting the best we can to move forward.
This seems simple, but these seem to be sad upside down days.
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Am I simple? I would have thought that was obvious from the getgo. Scientists telling people that they do not have to prepare for hurricane because it’s not coming their way and telling other people that they have to prepare for a hurricane because it is coming their way: that’s their job, right? It’s a really really important job too. Isn’t it?
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@Morgan
Your reaction, although meant to be amusing, is exactly what people like Trump want people to do--question reality. The idea is to take control, to define all reality as his reality. If you deny his reality, there will be consequences.
I don't for one second believe that there was no threat of firing NOAA's officials if they didn't get in line behind Trump's statement.
While your questioning of reality is obviously rhetorical, we have many in my country who have no problem conforming reality to whatever Donald Trump says it is.
Be grateful you don't live here....and please, don't let this happen to your country.
1
Science is our best tool for explaining the world. We ignore and denigrate it at our peril.
For example, this kind of behavior means there’s no argument that we’ll lose the coastal areas where most of our large cities are located. It’s just a question of time.
We could lose a lot more if we continue down this path.
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@Erik Frederiksen
Why have we already lost the coastal areas? Because the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is irreversibly retreating and Greenland's ice sheet is in trouble because extreme melt years like 2012 and 2019 will become the norm.