The US President faces accusations of inciting violence against journalists after he posted an edit of his infamous wrestling video
US President Donald Trump, who has revelled in his confrontational style with the news media, sparked fierce debate over whether he is inciting violence against journalists by posting a doctored video clip showing him bashing the head of a figure representing CNN.
Trump's latest provocation in his war with the media brought denunciations from Democrats, and some Republicans, who warned that the President's conduct could endanger reporters as he seeks to undermine public trust in reporting about his Administration.
"Violence & violent imagery to bully the press must be rejected," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote in one of the many comments from elected officials posted on Twitter.
A Redditor who has a history of racist and anti-Muslim posts is taking credit for the anti-CNN video. The Redditor, whose screen name is Han ******* Solo reacted: "Holy -! I wake up and have my morning coffee and who retweets my - post by the MAGA EMPORER himself!!! I am honored!!!" The video clip was taken from a WWE appearance in 2007 during which Trump body-slammed WWE Chairman Vince McMahon as part of the "Battle of the Billionaires".
Presidential historians suggested that Trump's social media attacks are lowering the bar on what constitutes appropriate presidential conduct in fighting perceived media enemies. H.W. Brands, a historian at the University of Texas, said Republican President Richard Nixon also felt mistreated, but "Nixon didn't air his grievances as publicly as Trump does. We've never seen anything quite like the ongoing performance of President Trump".
"It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters," CNN said.
White House aides and supporters defended the President's Twitter post as a pointed but harmless barb at what he sees as a hostile press corps. Some said the reaction demonstrated the inflated self-regard of reporters and their inability to take a joke.
Trump, who has singled out MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski and CNN for some of his most biting criticism, defended his use of social media, saying it befitted a "modern day" president.
The latest salvo from Trump came as questions about the political climate for journalists, and their safety, have swirled amid incidents in which politicians have assaulted reporters or had them arrested.
During the campaign, some reporters assigned to cover Trump, including ones from CNN, were cursed and threatened by his supporters, who echoed him with chants of "fake news". In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists said that targeting media outlets "creates a chilling effect and fosters an environment where further harassment or even physical attack is deemed acceptable".
The organisation, which tallies deaths of journalists across the globe, added that the White House's "charged rhetoric online" makes reporting "more dangerous" and "emboldens autocratic leaders around the world".
The President and his aides believe that his feud with the media, which has included limiting the number of on-camera briefings, has played well with his conservative base. "The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them. The people know the truth," Trump said at the weekend. "The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I'm president and they're not." Aides defended his tweet of the WWE video, arguing that Trump has a right to fight what they say is unfair coverage. They suggested that reporters were overreacting to a video first posted several days ago on the popular social media message board Reddit.
A video posted by US President Donald Trump showing him wrestling with a man and a CNN logo plastered over the man's face. Photo / Supplied via Twitter
"No one would perceive that as a threat; I hope they don't," homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said on ABC. Bossert praised Trump's ability to "genuinely" communicate with the public, and he echoed a line of defence that other Trump surrogates have employed: that when Trump's policies are attacked in the media, he has a right to counterpunch.
Trump's critics pointed to Congressman Greg Gianforte who body-slammed Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian, in May. Gianforte was sentenced in court to 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management classes.
Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at New York University, said: "No president has publicised his hatred for the media in the way Donald Trump has. It's not a fake fear. People can be radicalised by things like this." Han ******* Solo spent about a year on Reddit before attaining stardom, courtesy of Trump.
Some posts were unpopular. "That cat would be in a blender if it did that to me," for instance. Or recollections of visits to Paris armed with "punch blades," in case a Muslim needed to be stabbed in the neck.
The user found more success posting on r/The-Donald, an extremely popular Reddit subgroup specialising in the idolisation of Trump and the denigration of his imagined enemies - often through the most offensive means possible.
"TWEETED by the PRESIDENT," an admirer wrote. "Now it's confirmed that Trump sees our memes." Wondered SnugMeatSocks: "Did you ever think one of your memes would go into the Library of Congress?" Which isn't far from the truth. The National Archives has advised the White House to save all the President's tweets - from the indecipherable "covfefe" to "she was bleeding badly from a face-lift"..
On r/The-Donald, where dubious claims have long mixed with reality, Trump's endorsement of a homegrown GIF is now accepted as canon and lore.
"You know he saw it, chuckled, and knew he could control the media narrative for days by hitting the 'post' button," wrote American-Crusader. "So he did."
"If we could give him that, imagine what else we could provide the God-Emperor in Chief with?" a moderator for the group added.
Presidential tweets
Here's a look at what the other leaders of the free world were tweeting out while Trump was disparaging "Crazy Mika" and then defending his tweets as "MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL":
• "We are truly blessed to live in this great country. Nous avons beaucoup de chance de vivre dans un pays aussi extraordinaire." - Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
• "It has been a year since the election. Here are just some of things we have been doing to create more opportunities for you and your family." - Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia
• "Spent wonderful moments at the Sabarmati Ashram, which completes 100 years. The Ashram is filled with tremendous positivity." - Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
• "I send my warmest good wishes to Muslims in the UK and around the world celebrating the festival of Eid al-Fitr." - Theresa May, Prime Minister of Britain
