American politician Debbie Dingell, better known as the U.S. Representative of Michigan’s 6th congressional district (since 2015), recently appeared on CNN show The Situation Room and took a dig at former President Donald Trump and his Christmas Day message.
“I think it was one of the most pathetic Christmas greetings I’ve heard when a former president of the United States, who wants to return, tells people on Christmas Day that they ‘can rot in hell’,” Debbie Dingell stated.
It was in response to Donald Trump’s Truth Social Christmas greeting where he targeted special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the Justice Department’s investigation into the former President’s extent of involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol Riots and his attempt at botching the 2020 election results. Here's what he wrote.
“Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith... Included also are World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and ‘sick’ as the THUGS we have inside our Country… MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS."
It is noteworthy that in 2019, the-then President Trump said that Debbie Dingell’s late husband Democratic Representative John Dingell (whom she succeeded in Michigan’s Congress) was “looking up” from hell. The insensitive comment came in the wake of Debbie voting for Trump’s impeachment.
During the recent CNN interview, Debbie Dingell also referred back to the 2019 incident saying how Trump’s behavior has remained unchanged over the years.
Exploring the latest feud between Debbie Dingell and Donald Trump
On Christmas 2023, Donald Trump took to Truth Social and made a controversial holiday greeting. He began by wishing everyone “Merry Christmas” before slamming special counsel Jack Smith calling him “deranged,” and the “only hope” of the “crooked” Joe Biden.
He continued by saying how many of the world leaders were also “evil and sick” but not more than the USA’s own “thugs,” who are ruining the country with “Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car lunacy, and so much more.”
Trump wrapped up his message by saying that all these people were on a "witch hunt" against him and MAGA, “looking to destroy our once great USA,” before wishing that they all “rot in hell.”
On Tuesday, December 26, Debbie Dingell appeared on CNN and called out Donald Trump’s Christmas message, saying people had “a tough hard year” and did not need to hear Trump’s offensive and negative message.
When the host asked whether things were getting worse for public servants concerning threats, she responded by saying, “They’re deteriorating and they’re getting worse.”
Debbie Dingell further added that Trump’s Christmas greeting was “one of the most pathetic” ones she has ever heard, especially from someone who wishes to be re-elected as the American President. Debbie also stated how the ex-President was “contributing to the divisiveness [and] division,” among Americans.
Later, she also touched on how Donald Trump attacked her in the past, referring to his 2019 comments about her late husband “looking up” from hell. Debbie Dingell mentioned how she encountered threats and even had to defend against Trump supporters surrounding her house with assault weapons.
“Violence is becoming normalized. Every last one of us has to stand up. We can disagree civilly; we need to respect every human being with dignity,” Dingell said.
As soon as Trump got the heat of Debbie Dingell’s criticisms of him, he once again returned to Truth Social to hit back at her. He called her a “loser,” and said she was helping Biden and “his Merry Band of Thugs” to destroy the nation with his “insane” administrative policies.
The former U.S. President contributed to the feud by claiming on his post that Dingell’s attitude towards him was very different before and after her husband’s funeral.
“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. She thanked me profusely,” Trump mentioned.
He continued saying two months after the funeral, Debbie Dingell was “back on the train ranting and raving” about him. Besides, he wrote that instead of focusing all her energy on him, Ms. Dingell should look at the Biden administration and all their misdeeds.
Debbie Dingell took to X on Wednesday, December 27, to continue slamming Donald Trump and his latest remarks saying:
“We cannot ignore hateful, dangerous rhetoric, as much as we may want to. It is becoming too commonplace and being normalized. The use of ‘rot in hell’ in a Christmas message — a time for kindness, love, and peace — reminds us we cannot become desensitized.”
It is noteworthy that the Michigan Congresswoman earlier stated that Trump’s claim about making her late husband’s funeral accommodations was untrue. She further added that John Dingell deserved all the honors he received during his funeral and defended his service to the country as one of the longest-serving members of Congress.
During her latest CNN appearance, she also said that she never called Trump, it was the other way around. However, she remembered “his kind words that day,” and how “he lowered the flags,” as a sign of tribute. Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Republican Mitch McConnell were credited by Debbie Dingell as the ones who helped with the funeral arrangements.