FRANCE/NATURAL DISASTER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s suggestion for fighting the massive Notre Dame fire did not get good reviews. Tweeting that it was ‘so horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,’ Trump added: ‘Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!’ Professional firefighters called Trump’s proposal impractical at best. Deploying the kinds of airplanes used to fight forest fires would be dangerous in an urban area, they said, noting that force of the water could knock the building down and threaten firefighters on the ground. ‘The drop of water by air on this type of building could indeed result in the collapse of the entire structure,’ the French government civil defense agency tweeted. It later tweeted out a statement in English, in an apparent response to Trump, saying that ‘hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.’ The French newspaper Le Monde derided Trump’s plan as ‘impossible.’ Critics on Twitter called Trump’s comment the epitome of second-guessing in the middle of a disaster.”
–David Jackson, “Donald Trump draws criticism over suggestion of fighting Notre Dame fire with ‘flying water tankers’,” USA Today, April 16, 2019 8:06 am