President Trump escalates bitter Twitter feud with CNN with violent tweet
Donald Trump has ratcheted up the aggression in his latest tirade against broadcaster CNN by doctoring wrestling footage in a tweet to apparently show him body-slamming a man with a ‘CNN’ logo superimposed on his head to the floor, before letting loose a series of punches and calmly walking away.
Trump escalates bitter Twitter feud with CNN with violent tweet
#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017
The Twitter clip drew immediate outrage, predominantly from Democrats, with many decrying not just the overt depiction of violence against a media outlet but also the badly judged timing, coming on the eve of America’s 4 July Independence Day celebrations.
Trump has been embroiled in a bitter war of words with the news organisation since becoming president, dismissing it as ‘fake news’, a theme continued in the latest missive which was appended ‘#FraudNewsCNN’ and ‘#FNN.’
Despite the controversy, homeland security advisor Tom Bossert sought to defend his boss, by claiming that Trump was communicating with the American public in a ‘genuine’ way. He added: “I think that no one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they don’t.”
In response CNN said in a statement: “It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters. We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.”