Trump Tweets Pride For His Hotel and Skating Rink, But Doesn't Recognize LGBT Pride Month on Twitter
Donald Trump clearly loves to tweet. He tweets in the morning, he tweets in the evening, he tweets in the middle of the night. He tweets anytime, anywhere and, seemingly, about anything that passes through his mind (though not always through a filter).
But there’s been one glaring exception this month: Pride. His prolific Twitter account, with a following of more than 32.8 million, has remained conspicuously silent about LGBTQ Pride Month, celebrated every June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Even as the month-long celebration culminated in parades and events in his home city of New York this past week, the 45th president of the United States said nothing.
Related: Trump's White House Won't Acknowldege June as LGBT Pride Month, Even as Everyone Else Does
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Well, that’s not entirely true. He said plenty, about a slew of other topics. He tweeted about his predecessor, Barack Obama, and his rival in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton. He skewered other Democrats as well, including “Cryin’ Chuck” (presumably Senator Chuck Schumer) and Jon Ossoff, while heartily congratulating the latter’s Republican opponent in the most expensive race ever for a seat in the House. He tweeted his thoughts for Steve Scalise, the Republican congressman who was shot earlier this month, and repeatedly expressed his praise for the Senate healthcare bill. He emphasized that he had not made any tapes of his conversations with former FBI director James Comey and made sure to drop in a few “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”s. He even tweeted about a picnic. But zip on Pride or LGBTQ-related anything.
Trump has been scrutinized all month for failing to recognize June as Pride Month. At the end of May, his White House released several proclamations, declaring June a month to honor Caribbean-American heritage, African-American music, homeownership, the outdoors, the ocean, and… that’s it. With his silence, which continued through the month of June, he broke a tradition whereby Obama had issued a federal proclamation every year dating back at least to 2011.
On Monday morning, following the massive Pride Parade and PrideFest in Manhattan on Sunday, GLAAD called Trump out using what appears to be his favorite mode of communication. The advocacy organization, dedicated to fostering cultural change for LGBTQ acceptance, also pitted Trump’s former adversary against him on the issue.
“Thank you, @HillaryClinton,” the organization said from its Twitter account late Monday morning, quoting a tweet from Clinton wishing New York City and people around the world Happy Pride. “Hey @realDonaldTrump, are you going to acknowledge #PrideMonth or not?”
“Hillary Clinton yesterday acknowledged LGBTQ Pride Month by tweeting her support for NYC Pride and other prides around the globe. President Donald Trump? He. Still. Remains. Silent,” GLAAD added in an emailed statement. “GLAAD blasted out the following tweet this AM in response to President Trump’s consistent negligence to recognize LGBTQ Americans.”
This month was not the first time Trump or his administration, particularly Vice President Mike Pence, have been criticized for their track record on LGBTQ issues. GLAAD has compiled lists of several instances in which both have spoken or taken action against the LGBTQ community as part of its Trump Accountability Project. But Trump’s failure to issue a proclamation for Pride Month, coupled with his decision to speak this month at a conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, which GLAAD calls "extreme anti-LGBTQ activists," and his neglect of the LGBTQ community in his Pulse Nightclub tribute soon after that have drawn new waves of criticism.
It’s not technically true that Trump has never tweeted about pride. He’s used the word, but never with a capital “P.” In other words, a search through his Twitter history shows he has expressed pride in his D.C. hotel and his skating rink in Central Park, it does not immediately reveal a single instance in which he has used the word in reference to LGBTQ history, rights or issues.
The president’s history of tweets using “LGBT” is also sparse, with a total of two mentions in his entire feed. His few mentions of “gay” have centered on who stands where and who has flip-flopped on gay marriage, with one mention of an arrest near a “gay parade” and one quoting another Twitter user who describes someone who “looks a little gay.”
Trump has less than a week left to change his mind and break his silence before Pride Month comes to a close. But based on his Twitter and IRL (in real life) history, it doesn’t seem likely.