Reflecting on the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack that claimed at least 14 lives in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, it’s challenging to ignore the potential return of President Donald Trump’s self-centered leadership style. Even before law enforcement could officially pin down a suspect, the incoming President broadcasted inaccuracies on social media, falsely attributing the attack to an undocumented immigrant. With characteristic bluster, Trump insisted, against the facts, that circumstances vindicated his narrow viewpoint, affirming his past warnings about ‘incoming criminals’.
In his online post, Trump boasted: ‘I had previously stated that the criminals infiltrating our nation are far more dangerous than the criminals that inhabit it. This claim was repeatedly disputed by the Democrats and the fictionalized media, but it emerged as true. The level of criminality in our nation is unprecedented. Our deepest sympathies extend to all innocent victims and their bereaved families, including the heroic officers of the New Orleans Police Department.’ In his statement, Trump prioritized his ego, relegating his condolences to the victims to a later part of his message.
This approach during a tragedy underscores Trump’s unmethodical and self-centric leadership — an approach that disadvantages empathy, truth, and serenity. The actual perpetrator of the devastating attack, eliminated in a firefight with law enforcement, was a 42-year-old United States citizen and Army Veteran named Shamsud-Din Jabbar, hailing from Texas.
Contradicting Trump’s claims, Jabbar was not an ‘incoming criminal’ as per the language of the President-Elect. No aspect of the premature allegations by the incoming President validated themselves as ‘turning out to be true’. And, to clarify a repetitively misconstrued fact, the national crime rate does not approach an ‘unseen level’ as he suggested.
In 2024, The New York Times reported a decline in murders and crime throughout the country. Information about the suspect, Jabbar, is slowly emerging. According to the FBI, when carrying out the attack on New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Jabbar possessed an ISIS flag and was in military uniform. Not only were 14 people killed but another 30 were tragically wounded.
Any responsible leader, whether incumbent or incoming, should abstain from haste and conjecture following such a horrific incident. Citizens and victims’ families rightfully expect an American leader to tender sympathy, to provide verifiable information as it becomes available, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to safety and security. However, Trump took a different path altogether, essentially declaring, ‘I WAS PROVEN RIGHT, CRITICS!’ — despite the evidence to the contrary.
His was not the voice that should have taken center stage during these trying times. Yet, he deployed deception, vanity, and disinformation — a pattern all too familiar through his tenure. This was his trademark during his campaign and, it can be predicted, will likely persist once he returns to office.
We shouldn’t anticipate a guiding hand when the nation most requires it. Likely, Trump will continue to respond to tragedies through instinctive, self-serving statements, often spurred by baseless assertions by someone in his close circle.
Moreover, President-elect Trump’s initial reaction to the New Orleans calamity fell profoundly short of demonstrating meaningful leadership qualities. Unfortunately, that lacks any element of surprise.