“It’s extremely disturbing, and one of the things we can’t stop is being outraged,” Navarro said. “One of the things that Donald Trump has done is worn us down, where we all just shrug and say, ‘That’s Trump being Trump.’ No! He is the president of the United States!”
“I am sorry that Debbie is going through this, and I’m even more sorry that we have a pathetic, lame excuse, inhumane president who, instead of embracing the country and trying to unify this country, uses his presidential pulpit to attack dead war heroes, who unlike him, did not make up bone spurs!” Navarro added.
“Try better with ‘Be Best’!” Navarro concluded, referencing the anti-bullying initiative run by First Lady Melania Trump. “‘Be Best’ should start at home!”
The president’s remarks, spoken at a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, occurred in response to Debbie Dingell’s voting for his impeachment. Trump claimed he had made a series of reverent gestures to the memory of John Dingell, who died February 7 after 59 years of service, to his “profusely thankful” widow.
“Maybe he’s looking up,” President Trump said during the rally. “I don’t know. I don’t know, maybe. Maybe. But let’s assume he’s looking down.”
Debbie Dingell described herself as “hurt” by the president’s remarks on Thursday, tweeting, “Mr. President, let’s set politics aside. My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”
“This country needs more civility,” she later said during an appearance on CNN Thursday.
Multiple politicians have called for President Trump to apologize for his remarks toward Rep. Dingell, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who told The New York Times that he hadn’t seen the president’s remark, but felt that “If he said that, I think he should apologize.”
White House spokesman, Hogan Gidley, later explained the president’s words by saying he’s a “counterpuncher” during his news briefing, though he admitted that Rep. Dingwell had not proverbially “punched first.”
