Mayor Rick Kriseman’s Tweet Monday night “banning” Donald Trump from St. Pete has drawn national attention. It’s been reported on by local news outlets all over the state and country and even CNN.
And the Tweet has been “liked” and shared thousands of times.
The Tampa Bay Times documented reaction to Kriseman’s anti-Trump Tweet as the city’s latest tourism draw quoting several comments from out-of-towners that St. Pete is now on their list of vacation destinations.
Some even commented they’d consider a permanent move.
And some St. Pete City Council members are quite proud of their Mayor too.
“Make no mistake; Trump’s statement against Muslims was morally reprehensible. Both sides called candidate Trump out and rightly so,” said City Council member Darden Rice. “Rep. Jolly called for Donald Trump to exit the race. Mayor Kriseman used satire. Humor can be a great way to get a point across, so good for the Mayor to use it effectively and for noble reasons.”
Kriseman’s viral Tweet was intended to combat “ridiculousness with ridiculousnees.” It was in response to a press release from Trump’s campaign asserting all Muslims should be banned from entering the U.S.
The Mayor’s spokesperson, Ben Kirby, called the comment “hateful and xenophobic.”
While the Mayor can’t actually ban Trump from coming to St. Pete, his tongue-in-cheek Tweet stands as a referendum on Trump’s continually bombastic and inflammatory tone on Muslims. Previously, the Republican presidential hopeful suggested that a Muslim database and special IDs for Muslims might be a good idea.
St. Pete City Council member Steve Kornell said he doesn’t believe in banning anyone, but recognized Kriseman’s statement as one of comedic commentary.
“The opinions [Trump has] expressed don’t belong on the front page of the Tampa Bay Times, they belong in a reality show,” Kornell said. “That’s completely un-American.”
Kornell said Trump has every right to travel to St. Pete, but he also has every right to disagree with the presidential candidate.
City Council chair Charlie Gerdes laughed about Kriseman’s Tweet. He said he didn’t even know about it until Tuesday morning when a neighbor commented that it was “crazy.”
Another attorney from Fort Lauderdale told Gerdes on the phone that the Mayor’s Tweet was “great.”
“It’s gotten around,” Gerdes said. “If you understand the U.S. constitution than you thought it was funny.”
Gerdes added, it’s those who don’t understand the constitution who may have taken offense to Kriseman’s tone.
Karl Nurse hinted that maybe the Mayor either shouldn’t have made the comment or, at least, expected some backlash, writing that he “learned long ago that I can only tell jokes that are at my expense. Otherwise, it has been a problem.”
However, he condemned Trump’s statement saying they “represent the dark side of America”
“It is in the vane of ‘No Irish Need Apply’ or the signs from the days of segregation ‘No Colored…’ or when America interned Japanese-Americans in the 2nd World War,” Nurse wrote in a statement. “This kind of bigotry plays into the hands of ISIS.”
City Council co-chair Amy Foster did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Tweet, but posted something pretty relevant to the conversation on her Facebook page Tuesday morning.
“We have a saying in our household that all decisions are based on love or fear. For us, we choose love every time- even when it’s difficult. Today I ask my friends and neighbors to simply remember the golden rule,” Foster wrote.
It’s unclear whether or not she was referencing Trump’s comments about Muslims, but her request to friends and neighbors could certainly apply to that and a number of other incidents occurring lately.
