A mass shooting in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 10 people and injuries to 3 more.
Police determined the crime was targeting Black people. The FBI has said they will be investigating it as a hate crime and "racially motivated violent extremism."
After another act of domestic terrorism, people expect leaders to denounce the motivations for the violence—in this case White nationalism and White supremacy.
Former President Donald Trump decided rather than acknowledging the tragic deaths in Buffalo or denouncing some of the racist rhetoric he helped spread, he should take the opportunity to boast about the US' war in Afghanistan.
Trump told a crowd in Austin, Texas:
"I think they had a tragic event in Buffalo, just as I'm coming on the stage, tragic event in Buffalo with numerous people being killed."
He continued with with the seeming non sequitur:
"In 18 months in Afghanistan, we lost nobody."
It is unclear which 18-month period Trump was referring to. Attempts to reach out to his post-presidency office for clarification were unsuccessful.
You can see a video clip Trump's confusing comments below.
Trump: I think they had a tragic event in Buffalo. Tragic event in Buffalo with numerous people being killed. In 18 months in Afghanistan, we lost nobody.pic.twitter.com/U9LcgLsVAY— Acyn (@Acyn) 1652569723
Whether Trump was referring to the period between February 2020 and August 2021 (8 months of which Joe Biden was President), or to the last 18 months of his own presidency, the claim that no service members died is—at best—misleading.
USA Today debunked the claims the August 26, 2021 suicide bombing attack that killed 13 service members was the first time in 18 months any US military personnel died in Afghanistan. There were 4 recorded deaths during that time period, though none in combat.
Here are the US deaths in Afghanistan each year Donny Dollhands was in officepic.twitter.com/nIg9WOezJK— Jeff will always be pro-choice (@Jeff will always be pro-choice) 1652571993
Additionally, during the final 18 months of Trump's presidency, 22 service members were reported killed.
Representative Ted Lieu of California, a Democrat and colonel in the Air Force Reserve Command, called Trump out via tweet in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Lieu tweeted:
"This is a ridiculous comparison by the former President."
"Also, Trump is a liar and disrespects the 64 brave US servicemembers who died under his watch in Afghanistan by ignoring their deaths in his statement: 11 in 2020; 24 in 2019; 14 in 2018; 15 in 2017."
This is a ridiculous comparison by the former President. Also, Trump is a liar and disrespects the 64 brave US servicemembers who died under his watch in Afghanistan by ignoring their deaths in his statement: 11 in 2020; 24 in 2019; 14 in 2018; 15 in 2017. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262894/western-coalition-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan/\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1525614110733262848\u00a0\u2026— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1652589621
Twitter was highly critical of Trump's latest false claim.
It’s heartbreaking that the lives lost in Afghanistan were so insignificant to him that he doesn’t even remember. That says so much about him as a person and leader.
— Christina (@cd52356411) May 15, 2022
According to a HuffPost review of Air Force records, there have been 96 “dignified transfers,” as the military refers to them, at Dover since the start of Trump’s presidency, which saw the return of 127 Americans killed overseas. Trump has been there for four of the transfers,
— Loretta ex-GOP (@__Phoenyx__) May 15, 2022
To say “I think” about such a tragic event is something to think about his understanding of the type of event and any other situation.
— Raj Khatri (@rajkhatri) May 15, 2022
Every single time I here Trump speak I'm reminded of this quote. pic.twitter.com/NaP54NeJm0
— Justice Before Unity (@firedup79) May 14, 2022
In all fairness, he ignored those deaths at the time too
— Dawn of the nearly dead (@DawnCampion2) May 15, 2022
pic.twitter.com/kqOIUynvbA
— Mrs_Orvy - 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini! (@BarbaraSJTX) May 15, 2022
It\u2019s ALWAYS about him. Me, me, me, me, me. He is his whole world, he is his own universe.— Karen Bennett (@Karen Bennett) 1652580385
The disrespect never stops.
— Steward Beckham 🇺🇸🇺🇦 🌻 (@iTweetyNerd) May 14, 2022
Trump went on to brag about his conversations with the leader of the Taliban.
That boast was also debunked.
He\u2019s lying about the taliban. He freed their leadership and made a deal with them and handed the country to themhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9898321/Freed-jail-help-Donald-Trump-Abdul-Ghani-Baradar-head-Afghanistan.html\u00a0\u2026— Luke Zaleski (@Luke Zaleski) 1652587684
Trump was so quick to jump to congratulating himself for his imagined successes he failed to express any sympathy for those who were killed or injured in Buffalo.
He also forgot to denounce White nationalist and White supremacist extremism and violence.