CNN have also replied.
President Donald Trump has escalated his war of words with CNN after he posted a wrestling clip which has gone viral. In the clip from Wrestlemania 23, you can see the most powerful man in the world superimpose the CNN logo onto Vince McMahon’s head as he wrestles him/them to the ground.
Trump then repeatedly bashes his/CNN’s head in.
CNN have since replied.
CNN statement responding to the president: "We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his." pic.twitter.com/Gn1YRA2DRG
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 2, 2017
"The President in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary." – @SHSanders45 6/29/17
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) July 2, 2017
After the clip was posted, Thomas Bossert, Homeland Security Adviser, was a guest speaker on ABC’s political talkshow, This Week. During the interview, he was asked to give his immediate reaction to the footage.
Bossert said : “There are a lot of cable news show that reach directly to hundreds and thousands of viewers and they’re not always very fair to the president. I’m proud of the president for developing a Twitter and social media platform where he can talk directly to the American people.”
When asked if the image of Trump beating up on this individual – essentially the media – was sending the wrong message, Bossert said: “No one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they don’t. I do think that he’s beaten up in a way on cable platforms and he has a right to respond.”
In response, CNN commentator Ana Navarro stated that this answer was “unacceptable”.
She added: “That’s the president of the United States taking things way too far. It’s an incitement to violence and he’s going to get someone killed in the media. Maybe that will stop him. I’m disappointed beyond belief in the answer that the Homeland Security Adviser gave – what a wuss. What a wuss. You can see that he’s ceding his principles. Trump is surrounded by enablers that do nothing but shake their heads in agreement with everything that Trump says. They have to stand for democracy and freedom of the press. This is just going way too far, the President of the US is inciting violence against the free press.”
Granted, people are entitled to think that Trump’s video was funny, playful or an effort to defend himself. That goes without question.
Everyone is also perfectly entitled to critique a news organisation – freedom of speech works both ways after all – but the fact remains that Trump’s video has trivialised the belief that it’s acceptable for someone to physically attack a media outlet.
God forbid things don’t escalate to a situation where people are fearing for their lives because of their jobs.
Here are the interviews in full.
NEW: Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert on Trump's CNN tweet: "No one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they don't." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/BfrWWt7buM
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 2, 2017
.@ananavarro on Trump's CNN tweet: "It is an incitement to violence. He is going to get someone killed in the media." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/myhELRMu2x
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 2, 2017
