US President Donald Trump used the deadly Amtrak derailment in Washington state to tout his upcoming, long-delayed infrastructure plan and Twitter is furiously slamming him for it. Early Monday (18 December) morning, an Amtrak train in Washington derailed as it was barreling over a highway overpass and spilled onto the busy freeway, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others.

"The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly," Trump tweeted just hours after the fatal crash.

He also complained about the amount of money the US is spending in the Middle East.


Trump's administration is currently preparing a $1 trillion (£747bn) infrastructure push that is expected to be unveiled in January.

He followed up the first tweet with a more traditional one 11 minutes later sending his condolences to people affected by the deadly crash.

"My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington," he tweeted. "Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene. We are currently monitoring here at the White House."

Twitter, on the other hand, furiously slammed the president for exploiting a tragic situation to push his political agenda before offering his condolences to those affected.

"Trump's reaction to Amtrak train derailment: First, use the train accident to call attention to your infrastructure proposals. Second, express concern for the victims," one Twitter user wrote.

"So, any condolences to the families of those who died or were injured? Empathy, compassion, understanding... These things seriously elude you," a user tweeted.

Another said: "Trump turns yet another disaster into an advert for himself."

"He's never not an a**hole. Never," Andy Lassner, an executive producer for The Ellen Show, tweeted.

US President Donald Trump touted his long-awaited infrastructure plan in the wake of the fatal Amtrak crash and Twitter is roasting him for it SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images