Donald Trump this week became the first major-party White House hopeful in American history to honor Christmas with a message in which he wrote, in reference to his perceived political foes, “MAY THEY ROT IN HELL.” Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan told CNN soon after that the former president’s harangue was “one of the most pathetic Christmas greetings I’ve heard.”
As my MSNBC colleague Clarissa-Jan Lim noted, the Republican apparently didn’t much appreciate the congresswoman’s response.
Donald Trump directed his rage at Rep. Debbie Dingell on Tuesday after she criticized his Christmas Day social media tirade, calling the Michigan Democrat a “loser” and appearing to — once again — mock her over her husband’s death.
If this story seems at all familiar, it’s not your imagination. Four years ago this month, on the night of his first impeachment, Trump headlined a campaign rally in Michigan, where he whined for a while about Dingell standing against him, despite his willingness to give her husband, the late Rep. John Dingell, a proper memorial service.
The then-president told supporters, “She calls me up: ‘It’s the nicest thing that’s ever happened. Thank you so much. John would be so thrilled. He’s looking down. He’d be so thrilled. Thank you so much, sir.’ I said, ‘That’s OK, don’t worry about it.’ … Maybe he’s looking up, I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe.”
Politico’s Sam Stein, an MSNBC contributor, noted at the time, “You just don’t meet too many people in life who consciously pick fights with widows by suggesting their husband is in hell.”
Dingell responded to Trump at the time, “You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”
The Republican apparently didn’t much care. Four years later, as Trump again referenced hell — this time, in a Christmas message — he used his social media platform to not only call Dingell a “loser,” but also to repeat his version of events about her late husband.
“When I gave, as President, her long serving husband, the absolute highest U.S. honors for his funeral, a really big deal, she called me, crying almost uncontrollably, to say that she couldn’t believe I was willing to do that for a Democrat,” the former president wrote. “She thanked me profusely. Two months later, she was back on the trail ranting and raving about ‘TRUMP.’”
And if anyone knows a thing or two about “ranting and raving,” it’s the front-runner for the GOP nomination. All joking aside, among the many problems with Trump’s response is the subtext of his complaint: Trump approved a funeral for the longest-serving member of Congress in American history. In the Republican’s mind, this meant that John Dingell’s loved ones necessarily owed him. As part of this debt, Debbie Dingell, from Trump’s perspective, should refrain from all future criticisms — regardless of merit. In response to the former president’s tantrum, the Democratic congresswoman returned to CNN and said, “We got to treat each other with dignity and respect. Civility matters. Words have consequences.” Dingell added, “Many people have had a tough hard year. We need some calm, some love, some hope, not more negative words with division. And I think each and every one of us has a responsibility to stand up and ask everybody to treat each other with that respect and dignity.” If recent history is any guide, this will only encourage Trump to attack her again.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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