People Are Trying To Wrap Their Brains Around Trump Tweeting Old WWE Footage To ‘Body Slam’ CNN

On Sunday morning, President Trump used old WWE wrestling footage of himself to “punch” CNN. That is, he tweeted an edited clip (which apparently originated on Reddit and was swiped without credit) of his WrestleMania 23 appearance, in which he pounced upon Vince McMahon and hammer-punched him. The mocked-up version, of course, showed a CNN logo on top of McMahon’s head. It was a positively Gianforte-esque move.

Since Press Secretary Sean Spicer says that Trump’s tweets are “considered official statements,” and Trump recently described his use of Twitter as “MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL,” all of this has a dizzying effect. Not only that, but the official @POTUS account retweeted him, which means that this hot mess will forever live in the National Archives.

Naturally, Trump sparked a massive reaction, which included CNN tweeting a recent quote from Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who stated that Trump has “in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence.”

The network also labeled Trump’s tweet as “juvenile” and issued a formal statement on the matter:

“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.”

Other reactions began to spill forth, including critical ones from CNN journalists like Brian Stelter and Jim Acosta.

The tweet was a doozy, alright. Even Republican political operative Jack Posobiec acknowledged that RNC staffers likely hyperventilated upon seeing it, and some other humorous reactions followed.

However, a great percentage of reactions considered Trump’s tweet to be a dangerous stance that does endorse violence (against the media in particular). He has also pinned his “presidential” tweet to the top of his Twitter profile, which shows that he’s not at all embarrassed.

So much for a quiet Fourth of July weekend, right? There’s no such thing as rest when it comes to the Trump White House.

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