President Donald Trump caused controversy on Sunday when he shared a video on Twitter of himself physically attacking someone meant to represent CNN. The video shows Trump taking down and punching a man with the cable news channel’s logo superimposed over his face.
Trump accompanied the video with a caption, simply saying, “#FraudNewsNetwork” and “#FNN.”
Sunday’s tweet is just the latest in the president’s online crusade against CNN, MSNBC, and other media outlets. Trump has been feuding with “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski all week, referring to the pair as “low I.Q. crazy,” “dumb as a rock,” and “psycho” on multiple occasions.
But while the president has defended his social media etiquette, celebrities and other prominent figures remain critical.
J.K. Rowling and Chelsea Clinton referenced our forefathers in their critiques of the controversial clip.
July 2, 1776: Continental Congress votes for independence
July 2, 2017: Trump auditions for @WWE https://t.co/in4xXfCQeG— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) July 2, 2017
'To persevere in one's duty, and be silent, is the best answer to calumny.'
George Washington https://t.co/nvhYdTBF0P— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 2, 2017
Ava DuVernay took the opportunity to highlight what she perceives as hypocrisy between how Trump and former President Barack Obama are treated.
White supremacy is such that it allows a clearly diminished man to post this and proceed, but blocked the dignity of Obama at every turn. https://t.co/W6HGiRhC4y
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 2, 2017
Other famous Twitter users like Andy Cohen, Mia Farrow, and Kal Penn simply couldn’t believe what the president had tweeted.
Sweetie u cray https://t.co/OkaTiUuLAe
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) July 2, 2017
— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) July 2, 2017
I'm dying to know which staffers got to work on it. Who wrote the scheduling memo. Who did the briefing. How quickly comms signed off.
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) July 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/KevinZegers/status/881510775822499840
Not to be outdone, musicians like Zendaya, John Legend, and Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony didn’t even try to hide their disdain for the president.
I just want you all to remember…this is a tweet from the "president"…..ok https://t.co/9KqscBCMST
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) July 2, 2017
Like no one hacked it, it's not a parody account…that's really him…that shit is just embarrassing.
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) July 2, 2017
How the fuck are you a president.
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) July 2, 2017
25th Amendment. https://t.co/KM4KeakQlI
— John Legend (@johnlegend) July 2, 2017
CNN responded to Trump’s tweet with a statement: “It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters,” a network spokesperson said. “Instead of preparing for his overseas trip, his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, dealing with North Korea and working on his health care bill, he is involved in juvenile behavior far below the dignity of his office. We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.”
