Trump Jokes About ‘Bad Hair Day’ After Pittsburgh Synagogue Rampage

Image by Getty Images

By Dave Goldiner October 28, 2018

President Trump joked about his “bad hair day” after being forced to stop to talk to reporters in the rain about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in which 11 people were killed.

After briefly mentioning the shooting, Trump displayed a shocking lack of tact by quickly pivoting to his own appearance at an Indianapolis political rally.

Trump jokes that he considered cancelling speech to FFA not b/c of the mass shooting in Pittsburgh, but b/c his hair got wet while talking w/reporters about the shooting.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)
I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Email(Required)

“At least you know it’s mine… I said, ‘maybe I should cancel this arrangement b/c I have a bad hair day.’” pic.twitter.com/wLIlqQpENj

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 27, 2018

Trump warned the crowd that he was not his properly coiffed self because the windswept Nor’easter wreaked havoc with his hair before he boarded Air Force One in Washington D.C.

The president said unnamed advisers had urged him to scrap the Indiana event and a later rally in Illinois out of respect for the dead and wounded in Pittsburgh.

But he said he rejected their advice because cancelling the political rallies would signal that the hate-filled gunman would have “won.” Trump then joked that the only reason he considered cancelling the rallies were because of his hair mishap.

He went on to tick off familiar GOP election talking points about trade and tariffs, which he claimed are benefitting American farmers.

Then he called two local Republican congressmen to the stage for rounds of applause, and derided House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Later, he took to Twitter to strike a more presidential tone over the attack.

…This evil Anti-Semitic attack is an assault on humanity. It will take all of us working together to extract the poison of Anti-Semitism from our world. We must unite to conquer hate.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2018

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO