'Classic RINO': Trump criticises Colin Powell, derides 'fake media' in scorching memorial

In a begrudging memorial on Tuesday, former US President Donald Trump insulted the ex-US Army general and secretary of state, Colin Powell, who passed away a day before due to COVID-19 complications worsened from comorbidity. Trump launched slanders at the first-ever black person to become one-time American secretary of state, saying that the four-star general was a  “classic RINO [Republican in name only]”, who committed  “plenty of mistakes” throughout his career. Trump, who had routinely exchanged sparring with the now-deceased official during his tenure, lambasted the mainstream ‘fake media’ for commemorating Powell “beautifully” in his death and concealing his “big mistakes” and blunders with regard to intelligence botch up about the Iraq war, which the latter in 2003 speech said was a “blot” on his political career. 

“Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media,” Trump wrote on his official Twitter handle. “Hope that happens to me someday,” he went on to add. 

“He was always the first to attack other Republicans,” Trump said in a statement now widely shared on Twitter. “He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!” the former American leader stressed.

Image: Twitter/@bblock29

Trump’s bitter remarks against the deceased US official came at the time when the latter’s death has sparked a widespread outpouring of praise from politicians at home and abroad, as well as mounting honour and respect bestowed by the sitting Biden administration. Powell, who had travelled on numerous foreign trips to tackle umpteen international crises and make policies recommendations to the then-president George W Bush, had attracted flak for his role in pushing the Iraq war as Bush’s secretary of state. Despite that, US President Joe Biden on October 19 labelled the deceased Secretary of State as “embodying the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat.” Biden wrote in a statement that Powell had, “time and again, put country before self, before the party, before all else—in uniform and out—and it earned him the universal respect of the American people.” 

Colin Powell, the first African-American U.S. Secretary of State has passed away from COVID-19. Image: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Powell who had briefly sought to contest the Republican nomination for the presidential candidate in the 1996 election, but abruptly withdrew later, earned the wrath of the former President who wrote that while Powell made "plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!” His sarcastic comments stirred a backlash from the Democrats, veterans and commentators, who took to social media to accuse the former leader of disrespecting a prominent figure. 

Powell’s flak for Trump presidency, and rooted Joe Biden’s backing 

Late Secretary and the US Army general had called Trump’s presidency “a danger” to the American nation and had also endorsed sitting president Joe Biden’s nomination in the 2020 election. Following the January 6 riots, Powell made televised remarks with Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" dissociating himself with the  Republican Party as he said that Trump had ‘drifted away’ from the constitution. The late first African American secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had derided ex-US President for his “strongman approach” against the Black Lives Matter demonstration following the death of Black man George Floyd in May.

"I'm very close to Joe Biden on a social matter and on a political matter. I worked with him for 35, 40 years, and he is now the candidate and I will be voting for him," Powell said in his televised remarks. He had also stressed on national television that trump must not be reelected. Shortly after his remarks, Trump had launched verbal slanders at Powell on Twitter saying that the official was "a real stiff" and Biden was "another stiff."  Powell, who succumbed to the COVID-19 complications served in four Republican administrations, starting his career on combat duty in Vietnam. he then went on to become the first Black national security adviser at the end of former President Ronald Reagan’s administration. 

Image: AP