Donald Trump is getting some advice on how to “Be Best” after his Twitter attack on Marie Yovanovitch.
Several of the president’s critics took him to task for an attack launched just as the former ambassador to Ukraine was testifying in a public impeachment hearing. Trump claimed Yovanovitch was a failure, blaming her for problems in countries where she was stationed, including Somalia.
“She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him,” Trump tweeted , adding a swipe at his predecessor by claiming that he did more for Ukraine than former President Barack Obama.
The tweet was sent as Yovanovitch was speaking about Trump’s decision to pull her from Ukraine, which was allegedly part of a plot to get Ukraine to launch an investigation on Joe Biden. Yovanovitch was able to respond in real time, characterizing the tweet as an attempt to intimidate, though it did not stop her from continuing her testimony. Outside of the hearing, the tweets drew widespread criticism and allegations that Trump was trying to intimidate a witness against him. Additionally, some critics on Twitter decided to take a different tack.
After Trump’s post, Twitter users began reporting the tweet to First Lady Melania Trump’s “Be Best” campaign, which aims to prevent cyberbullying. The tweets had users many advising her to counsel her husband on how to be nicer, with some tagging the first lady directly.
I’m guessing Melania’s “anti-bullying campaign” took a public relations hit today with a sitting President live-bullying a US Ambassador during sworn testimony. #tseBeB (the opposite of #BeBest )
— robert jon anderson (@RobAnderson2018) November 15, 2019
This wasn’t the first time that Twitter users have reported the president to his wife for violations of her cyberbullying efforts. Criticism in the past has been due to Trump frequently attacking his critics on Twitter, often launching personal attacks and coining demeaning nicknames.
Earlier this year, people took to Twitter to report Trump for his string of attacks on the long-dead Arizona Senator John McCain, who the president blamed for kicking off the Russia investigation by turning over the Steele dossier to the FBI. Trump claimed that this move was one of many “stains” on McCain’s legacy, along with his deciding vote to end Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare.
However, it wasn’t just the usual suspects attacking Trump for his perceived attempt at witness intimidation on Friday. Even the normally Trump-friendly media outlet Fox News was critical , with host Lisa Kennedy calling President Trump a “big dumb baby” for his Twitter attack.
