President Donald Trump was accused of advocating violence against CNN after he tweeted an altered video of himself physically attacking a man wearing the network’s logo on his head.
The president, 71, shared the controversial video on Sunday, July 2, amid his ongoing Twitter feuds with CNN and MSNBC. He captioned the tweet, “#FraudNewsCNN #FNN,” two hashtags he previously used to label the network’s critical reporting about his administration and tweets.
#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017
The altered video originated from the real estate mogul’s 2007 appearance on WWE’s WrestleMania 23, where he tackled the company’s founder Vince McMahon.
Many Twitter users pointed out that the clip contradicted White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders‘ recent claim that Trump has never promoted violence. In response to Trump’s tweet, CNN reposted Sanders’ quote, writing, “@realDonaldTrump ‘The President in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary.’ – @SHSanders45 6/29/17.”
CNN also released a formal statement about the video. “It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters. Clearly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied when she said the President had never done so. 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 instead involved in juvenile behavior far below the dignity of his office. We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.”
The post came on the heels of Trump’s feud with Morning Joe cohosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
