Trump slams Rep Debbie Dingell for not being grateful enough about husband’s funeral

Former president lashes out after Michigan lawmaker called his Truth Social post ‘one of the most pathetic Christmas greetings I’ve heard’

Donald Trump has attacked Michigan Democrat Representative Debbie Dingell for criticising his Christmas Day rants, claiming he gave her late husband “the absolute highest US honors for his funeral”.

Ms Dingell criticized the former president on CNN on Tuesday over Christmas Day messages he made on the Truth Social platform. Mr Trump had claimed that his political opponents “are looking to destroy our once great USA”, adding “may they rot in hell”.

Ms Dingell called Mr Trump’s message “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’”.

She added that Mr Trump was adding to the “divisiveness” and “division” across the United States.

The former president was quick to respond to the criticism, calling her a “LOSER, who is helping Crooked Joe Biden, and his Merry Band of Thugs...” on Truth Social.

Mr Trump continued: “When I gave, as President, her long serving husband, the absolute highest US 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.

“Two months later, she was back on the trail ranting and raving about ‘TRUMP.’ She ought to focus on how badly the Auto Workers of Michigan, and the USA as a whole, are being treated by CHINA, to which Crooked Joe Biden has given this once great industry away!”

Rep. John Dingell represented Michigan from 1955 until 2015 and was the longest-serving lawmaker in US history. Mr Dingell was elected to finish his father’s term, and remained in Congress for 59 years before his wife took over his seat.

Mr Dingell passed away in 2019 while Mr Trump was president, and he was eulogized by former President Bill Clinton, who called him “just about the best doer in the history of American public life”.

Mr Trump previously attacked Debbie Dingell after she voted in favour of his impeachment in 2019. At the time, Mr Trump suggested that her late husband was “looking up” from hell.

She responded on Twitter a few days later. “Mr President, let’s set politics aside. My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder,” she wrote.

Ms Dingell addressed that 2019 incident during her CNN appearance on 26 December.

“I have had people, and after he went after me, and quite frankly, there were men outside of my house with assault weapons, and I have had threats, but it is hate and division [that] are creeping into our communities far too easily,” she said.

“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.”

Mr Trump marked Christmas Day by sharing a video compilation of his festive presidential speeches amid rants about the 2024 election, his legal woes and posting a seasonal greeting that his opponents “rot in hell”.

“Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith,” Mr Trump wrote in his holiday post. “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 who, with their 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, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!”