In the middle of a national emergency, Trump’s latest tweets are profoundly insensitive

As the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey continues to be tragically unveiled, President Trump is not solely focusing his attention on those in need of his help.

Instead, he has been spending time on Twitter, threatening to end trade deals with Canada and Mexico. With the New York Times reporting that there are at least five dead due to Hurricane Harvey, Trump announced that he would be visiting Texas just as soon as it was deemed safe, but in typical Trump fashion, it is an action that he had previously condemned Obama for doing just last year:

Shot, chaser, etc. pic.twitter.com/FukubUlj7J

— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) August 27, 2017

Meanwhile, Trump is also having meetings with the Mexican and Canadian governments, as part of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreements (or NAFTA). In advance of the meetings, Reuters reported that all three governments signed non-disclosure agreements about the NAFTA talks. This, however, didn't stop Trump from taking to Twitter to vent his opinion on how the talks were going:

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

He also took time out to remind everyone of that big election promise he made that hasn't materialised in any real way

With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

And on top of that, right in between two tweets about the record rainfall recorded from the hurricane, Trump tweeted a book recommendation:

A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

While this in itself may be little more than bad timing, it becomes a real issue for some when the author is a polarising sheriff who celebrated Trump not taking sides in the wake of the Charlottesville rally, plus the plug for the book arrives just a day after Trump pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona, who had been convicted of contempt for violating a federal court order to stop detaining people solely based on their immigration status.