President Donald Trump didn’t fool anyone this week during a White House event where he read a scripted plea about helping vulnerable children — and viewers instantly caught the telltale shift in his voice that they believe only happens when he’s reciting something for the first time.
The moment was already going viral on its own, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped in and turned it from embarrassing to brutal.
Trump signed an executive order Thursday that creates first lady Melania Trump’s initiative called “Fostering the Future,” which seeks to help children in foster care access financial and educational resources.
But then he did something plenty of people had a hard time believing.
He delivered an eyebrow-raising speech about treating children kindly after he just ended a court battle that sought to freeze the funds used to pay for the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, during the 42-day government shutdown, a benefit millions of Americans, including 16 million children, depend on.
“The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans,” Trump ironically said.
“So important, and it is so big in the Bible. So, as we make America great again, we’re going to protect American children in foster care and we’re going to ensure that they will never, ever be forgotten,” he added.
But Newsom wasn’t about to let him forget how Trump fought hard to freeze court-ordered SNAP benefits during the shutdown without any regard at all for the kids who might go hungry.
“You literally fought in court to strip families of food assistance,” Newsom proclaimed over a video clip of Trump simperingly making the remarks about the Bible and caring for children.
Others weren’t convinced Trump has ever read the Bible.
“You shouldn’t quote a book you’ve never read, you silly billy,” mocked Havoc on X. Others piled on, “Lololol it’s so obvious when he is reading something the first time” and “that was the “I’m reading this for the first time” Trump voice”
“This day is surreal. A guy who went all the way to the Supreme Court to be able to starve his own people while throwing lavish parties, is quoting the Bible about that?!” remarked Susan on X.
Politicians were equally critical of the president.
“He literally just defunded food for children this week,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark pointed out on X.
“Was this the argument he used when he begged the Supreme Court to let him starve them?” Democratic members of the House Ways and Mean Committee questioned in a post on X.
“Just wait till Trump finds out the Bible says this: ‘You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.’ – Leviticus 19:34,” this X user responded.
Since the government has now reopened, the Trump administration is expected distribute full SNAP benefits immediately, according to USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis, Politico reported.
But it had appealed an earlier court ruling ordering it to continue to pay out the crucial benefits even though program funding was set to end on November 1 due to the shutdown.
Trump appealed the decision all the way to the Supreme Court which froze the lower court order, effectively allowing Trump to withhold the food benefit for millions of Americans. And Trump was taking these drastic actions despite having reserve funding to make the payments and as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
