After insults from Trump, Mexico rescinds offer of hurricane relief

As that massive storm battered Texas and other parts of the South, Mexico’s foreign minister reached out to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to offer assistance with the recovery efforts — something the nation also did following Hurricane Katrina.

It was a gracious and humane gesture from a country that has received nothing but crude invective from Trump. And of course, Trump responded to the offer not with thanks and gratitude, but with zero acknowledgment of it at all as he unleashed more racist garbage about Mexico.

And now, following that treatment and with its own natural disasters to contend with, Mexico has revoked the offer of assistance.

The death toll from the recent massive earthquake off the Pacific coast has risen to 96, destroying over 15,000 homes as well as many other buildings and structures across Mexico. It was followed almost immediately by Category 1 Hurricane Katia, leaving that nation in dire need of relief funds, supplies, and aid workers across the country.

“Given these circumstance, the Mexican government will channel all available logistical support to serve the families and communities affected in the national territory,” the foreign ministry said in a statement announcing the revocation of aid.

Certainly, the devastation from the earthquake and hurricane would have required major attention and assistance no matter what.

But the callous response — or lack thereof — from Trump to Mexico’s offer of help for Texas had to be painfully fresh in the minds of officials, as well.

One day after the original offer was made, during a press conference with the President of Finland, Trump neglected to even mention Mexico’s kindness. Instead, in response to a question about making Mexico pay for the border wall, Trump once again went off on a bigoted rant.

“One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the wall,” Trump insisted, complaining that Mexico has been “very difficult” regarding NAFTA renegotiations and ranting about the supposed massive influx of drugs into the U.S. from Mexico.

“As you know, Mexico has a tremendous crime problem, tremendous,” Trump babbled, continuing, “tremendous drugs are pouring into the United States at levels that nobody has ever seen before.”

Incidentally, and unsurprisingly, Trump is just wrong on that point. But lies and crassness was all he had to offer.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did thank Mexico for their offer. But he is not the president, and the silence from Trump in favor of bigoted whining was stark and unacceptable.

Perhaps, if Trump had behaved like a president ought to, and less like a grandstanding, ridiculous, reality TV star, those still struggling to recover and rebuild after Hurricane Harvey might have had a little more help to do so.