Twitter Is Not Happy About Marianne Williamson's Tweet About Hurricane Dorian
The 2020 presidential race is already getting interesting, and perhaps one of the most fascinating figures on the candidate stage is self-help guru Marianne Williamson. Most notable as an inspirational author, Williamson has been trying to leverage that to run for the nation's highest office, but it hasn't always gone well. Most recently, Twitter is roasting Marianne Williamson's tweet about Hurricane Dorian, which may well be the candidate's own spiritual take on "thoughts and prayers."
Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas on Sept. 2 as a Category 5 storm, lingering over the island and wreaking devastation, the full extent of which wasn't visible until the storm moved on late on Sept. 3. As of the afternoon of Sept. 4, the storm is heading towards the Carolinas coast of the United States. But while some rushed to send supplies and aid, and others were busy evacuating out of the storm's path, Williamson was thinking differently. On Sept. 4, Williamson tweeted that “millions of us seeing Dorian turn away from land is not a wacky idea; it is a creative use of the power of the mind. Two minutes of prayer, visualization, meditation for those in the way of the storm.”
She later deleted the tweet, less than two hours later, and replaced it. The new tweet still calls for prayers, but now simply wishes “the peace of God be upon them and their hearts be comforted.”
Williamson's campaign told Elite Daily that the tweet was replaced after it caused confusion. "It was a metaphor," a spokesperson said in an email. "When others speak of prayer and the mind it's considered profound, but Williamson is held to a different standard."
A self-help author who once ran for Congress in 2014 (and lost), Williamson launched a presidential campaign in January. Williamson describes herself as a non-denominational faith leader and runs a campaign on "turning love into a political force." Although she did not qualify for the next round of Democratic debates on Sept. 12, she has shown no signs yet of dropping out of the race.
After the second round of debates in July 2019, Williamson took over the internet conversation and became the most searched candidate name in 49 states. As she crept to national attention, many began to view her as a fun, flirty break from the exhausting humdrum of politics. Even as disability activists condemned her health care policies as dangerous and questionable old tweets continued to surface, Williamson continued to receive media attention, likened to a fun hippie lady who won’t ever be president anyway.
Her most recent Twitter antic, however, may be the final straw for some. As Hurricane Dorian began moving toward the Florida coast after devastating the Bahamas, Twitter was in disbelief to see a presidential candidate call upon the country to mentally turn the storm away from land. If anything, it was a great talking point for those who have been suggesting she should never have been considered a serious candidate all along.
Some people were ready for her to drop out of the Democratic race and get out of the 2020 conversation.
Others were quick to add context that this is not the first time Williamson's policies — or lack thereof — have posed real dangers. In the past, Williamson has expressed skepticism about antidepressants to treat clinical depression and doubted the use of vaccines. Representatives of Williamson did not previously return Elite Daily's request for comment on the subject. She has apologized for some of these claims, but that was only just about as effective as deleting the Dorian tweet was.
On a lighter note, Twitter got pretty creative coming up with some fun new nicknames for the self-help guru, likening her to a "unicorn lady," a Twitter troll, or an ancient Roman naturalist.
A few jumped to Williamson's defense, whether they support her for president or not.
Williamson has been low on the radar since she took first place in Google searches, and we have yet to hear what her plans are as she sits out the next stage. But assuming she's been planning to make a comeback, calling for a national hurricane meditation was probably not her best idea. At least, according to Twitter.
