Trump "Attacks" 'Fake News' CNN in Twitter Post, Sparks Social Media Storm

Donald Trump's crusade against several mainstream media outlets has continued on Sunday with the US President posting a video of himself "beating" a person whose face has been replaced by a CNN logo.

Trump abstained from explaining why he posted such footage and added only the hashtags #FraudNewsCNN and #FNN.

#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 2 июля 2017 г.

Trump's "attack" on CNN took place outside of a boxing ring. The original event took place during WrestleMania 23 in 2007. The man whose head was replaced by the CNN logo is Vince McMahon, the tournament's executive director, who organized the fight with Trump as a publicity stunt. The future US President then won the fight and after that shaved the head of the defeated McMahon.

CNN mocked Trump's tweet citing White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders as saying that the US president "in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence."

"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) 2 июля 2017 г.

Twitter users were also quick to react with many criticizing such move by the US leader and very few supporting it.

Well, technically, this is what you get when you vote for a Reality TV star to be President. No one should be surprised.

— Rob Szczerba (@RJSzczerba) 2 июля 2017 г.

What foreign leader is going to take him seriously after watching this?#NiceTryTrump

— val broeksmit (@BikiniRobotArmy) 2 июля 2017 г.

You are literally advocating violence against the press, you utter toxic orange nightmare.

— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) 2 июля 2017 г.

On this day in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act & Voting Rights Act into law.

— Mike Flacy (@mikeflacy) 2 июля 2017 г.

Did you become president to get more twitter followers?

— John Lurie (@lurie_john) 2 июля 2017 г.

Are you 12? This is insane.

— Amanda Deibert🏳️‍🌈 (@amandadeibert) 2 июля 2017 г.

I have no words. Wait. I do! In the words of the illustrious President of the United States electoral college, "Sad."

— notDrCraigMalkin (@NoDrCraigMalkin) 2 июля 2017 г.

CNN dishes fake news out all day long and when the president calls them out liberals are offended. Go find a safe space!

— Corryn 🇺🇸 (@Corrynmb) 2 июля 2017 г.

actually one wld expect potus 2 behave differently than a media personality. Perhaps w maturity

— D. Smith (@ceilidh_2855) 2 июля 2017 г.

And on this day you lose your minds over a tweet.

Too funny

— Jason (@Jason66094979) 2 июля 2017 г.

​Earlier, Trump wrote on Twitter that he is "thinking about changing the name #FakeNews CNN to #FraudNewsCNN!"

I am thinking about changing the name #FakeNews CNN to #FraudNewsCNN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 1 июля 2017 г.

"The FAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA is working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media — but remember, I won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. I had to beat #FakeNews, and did. We will continue to WIN!" he added.

​

Trump was supposedly refering to the recent scandal involving CNN when the media outlet took down on June 24 an article that suggested the US Senate Intelligence Committee was looking into the meeting of Trump's aide Anthony Scaramucci and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev. The article was retracted, while three CNN reporters who worked on the story resigned.

Since Trump assumed office, many US media outlets, including CNN, have accused the US president's team of having ties to the Kremlin. Trump has refuted these allegations and labelled the media involved in these speculations "fake news."

Previously, the US president also slammed "failing" The New York Times, as well as CNN, NBC ABC, CBS over allegedly being "the enemy of the American People" and several other US media outlets over "fake news" reports.

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 17 февраля 2017 г.