A former prime minister has caused outrage online after calling for a hurricane to hit the U.S. president’s Florida estate.
Kim Campbell, the first and only woman to serve as Canada’s prime minister, tweeted Wednesday that she was “rooting” for Hurricane Dorian to have a “direct hit on Mar a Lago!”
The Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach Florida is owned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Friday morning, Campbell deleted the tweet and apologized to anyone who may have been offended.
“It was intended as sarcasm-not a serious wish of harm. Throwaway lines get a life of their own on Twitter. I [should] know better. Mea culpa,” she wrote.
The remark stirred up a flurry of fiery reactions on Twitter. It also got the attention of several U.S. outlets, including Fox News, USA Today and the New York Post.
Eric Trump, the U.S. president’s son, also chimed in on the controversial tweet, which he called “classless.”
Some social media users said Campbell sounded “childish,” while others complained the comment was “beneath” a former prime minister.
One tweet that captured Campbell’s interest pointed out that many people live in the hurricane’s potentially destructive path. She responded by saying there are also people in Puerto Rico, where a deadly storm killed 2,975 people in 2018, according to the island government’s official numbers.
The former politician issued another tweet Thursday to clarify her original take on the matter, where she criticized the U.S. president.
“Trump’s indifference to suffering is intolerable! [Would] also help if he tackled climate change which is making hurricanes more destructive! Instead, he will remove limits on methane! Get a grip!”
This isn’t the first time Campbell has taken aim at Trump. In January, she referred to him in a tweet as a “motherf**ker” in reaction to a video about the U.S. government shutdown. That tweet was also deleted.
Campbell became Canada’s 19th prime minister in June 1993, taking over for former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Her tenure only lasted until November, after her Progressive Conservatives suffered a dramatic loss in that year’s federal election. She left office after failing to win her own seat and eventually resigned as party leader.
In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Campbell was again leading the advisory board to help select a new appointee for the Supreme Court of Canada. The process ended with the confirmation of Quebec judge Nicholas Kasirer.