It’s become the norm during this election season for presidential candidates to volley insults back and forth on social media. One candidate will question the other’s experience, and then the other candidate retorts, and rinse, lather, repeat. It’s almost like clockwork, which can be predictable but also full of spectator action.
The latest installment — which comes soon after Clinton insisted that “words matter” while addressing Donald Trump’s recent 2nd Amendment comments — features Trump’s assertion that President Obama played an integral part in creating ISIS. During a Wednesday rally, Trump said Obama “is the founder of ISIS, okay? He’s the founder! He founded ISIS! … And I would say, the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton.” Yes, Trump made the claim Obama was the creator of ISIS, okay! Granted, the Islamic State’s beginnings happened before Obama was in office, but that hasn’t stopped the Trump campaign from making assumptions like these.
For good measure, Trump decided to throw Hillary Clinton under the bus, and on Thursday morning, Trump said he was being completely literal. He really thinks Obama created ISIS. For her part, the Democratic presidential nominee was having none of it and lambasted the real estate mogul on Twitter:
It can be difficult to muster outrage as frequently as Donald Trump should cause it, but his smear against President Obama requires it.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 11, 2016
No, Barack Obama is not the founder of ISIS.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 11, 2016
Anyone willing to sink so low, so often should never be allowed to serve as our Commander-in-Chief.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 11, 2016
She has seemed to make a point, okay? Clinton’s Twitter has been pretty apt at firing back at Trump and calling out his sometimes outrageous rhetoric. We have seen that her social media team can be pretty clever and are not afraid to troll opponents who throw insults her way. This round of replies seems a little weary, but that’s likely by design.