In what can only be seen as a demonstration of his priorities, President Trump tweeted condolences to the wife and family of talk show host Regis Philbin within an hour of his death, 14 hours faster than recognizing the death of civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.
One of the greats in the history of television, Regis Philbin has passed on to even greater airwaves, at 88. He was a fantastic person, and my friend. He kept telling me to run for President. Holds the record for “most live television”, and he did it well. Regis, we love you….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2020
Trump’s tweet about Philbin hit the social media site at 4:15 p.m. ET, less than one hour after the first alerts went out about his death.
By comparison, Congressman Lewis’ death was announced on the night of July 17th at 11 p.m. ET. Neither the White House nor Trump acknowledged the passing of Lewis that night.
The following day, Trump went to his golf course in Sterling, Virgina, played a round of golf, and finally got around to sending condolence about Lewis’ death to “he and his family” at 2:05 p.m. ET from his iPhone.
Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2020