‘Four days with no plan’: Trump administration under fire for offering helpline number for Americans stranded in Middle East

Four days after the crisis began, Donald Trump’s administration sent the message Tuesday that it is aggressively working to rescue hundreds of Americans stranded in the Middle East. The U.S. State Department said it is actively working to secure military aircraft and charter flights for U.S. citizens who wish to leave the Middle East. “We have been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans overseas. U.S. citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options,” said the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs. White House adviser Steven Chang called on all media outlets to get the information out on their screens and on social media.

‘Americans are being held hostage’: Backlash on social media

Social media users reacted cruelly, saying the phone number issued by the government was too late to be used

Americans also compared how other countries responded, how their governments evacuated them, while the U.S. State Department simply issued advisories for Americans to leave countries in conflict zones while all airports were closed.

How to get started

American businessman James Blunt said he called the State Department’s emergency number, but 30 minutes after calling, he learned about the security update that had been posted online. “I understand the agreement. I understand the threshold for evacuation. But telling Americans to ‘leave now’ when there are no commercial options and no real path is provided is frustrating to say the least,” Blunt wrote.