Sarah Sanders tries to fix humiliating Trump response to Notre Dame fire

Nearly 24 hours after Trump made a fool of himself by offering unrequested “advice” for extinguishing the fire at Notre Dame, press secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to clean up his remarks.

The White House released a statement on Tuesday morning about the fire, attempting to elevate the tone after Trump’s callous and trivial initial comments.

“The United States stands with French citizens, the city of Paris, and the millions of visitors from around the world who have sought solace in that iconic structure,” the statement read.

It was a significant shift from Trumps’ immediate response, which prompted international mockery and an official correction and admonishment from the French government.

“Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” Trump excitedly wrote as the city and the world mourned the devastating event.

Sécurité Civile, the French civil defense agency, had to publicly point out to Trump that if they followed his “advice,” the structure would likely be further damaged. Trump’s idea “could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral,” they wrote.

Trump also stepped on another rake as he discussed the fire during a White House event.

While he has been involved in real estate for years and should know about the business conducted in between his multiple bankruptcy finances, Trump nonetheless seemed confused about what was occurring at the site.

“They think [the fire is] caused by, at this moment — they don’t know — but they think it was caused by renovation. And I hope that’s the reason. Renovation, you know, what’s that all about?” Trump asked.

The comment, from a serial conspiracy theorist like Trump, appeared to give oxygen to crackpot right-wing ideas about the fire which have begun to bubble up. Trump has spent his political life dwelling in the fevered swamps of the right, so conspiracy nonsense comes to him easily.

In her position, Sanders has often had to try and massage Trump’s mangled words and ridiculous ideas in a (failed) attempt to make him seem more presidential.

For instance, when he callously chose to change U.S. policy at the border, leading to children being stolen and their families ripped apart, Sanders told reporters his actions were “biblical.”

With Trump, Americans and the world are well aware of what they are getting and are no longer surprised by how ridiculous he can be. They are still ashamed, appalled and embarrassed by him, and a flowery press release can’t fix that.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.