Donald Trump’s 5 Biggest Twitter Rants: From Covfefe to Taunting Kim Jong Un
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Donald Trump mastered the ‘art of the tweet’ as President. From reigniting diplomatic dust-ups with a typo-riddled ‘covfefe’ misfire to taunting “Rocket Man” Kim Jong Un and slamming CNN in a mock wrestling video, Trump’s Twitter tenure played out like a real-time reality show with an unreliable narrator letting it all hang out 280 characters at a time. Let’s take a look at the highlights (or lowlights, depending on how you look at it) that kept America glued to their Twitter feeds.
1. Trump’s CNN Tweet
Widespread outrage was sparked by a tweet criticizing CNN, and many said the President was encouraging violence against the media, as per the Washington Post . This occurred just a few days after Trump insulted anchors from MSNBC, a separate television network, in a highly personal tweet. The CNN clip featured 28 seconds of Trump body-slamming a man on WWE’s WrestleMania from 2007. The CNN logo had been Photoshopped over the man’s head. Thomas Bossert, Trump’s adviser on homeland security, backed the President, saying, “There’s a lot of cable-news shows that reach directly into hundreds of thousands of viewers. And they’re really not always very fair to the president.” The tweet regarding CNN received a lot of attention because it was sent right before the Sunday political discussion shows aired.
2. When Trump Tweeted at Kim Jong Un
During his Asia trip in November, Trump took to Twitter to provoke the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. This followed North Korean state media calling Trump a ‘lunatic old man.’ The relationship between the U.S. and North Korea had been tense for months by then; North Korea was testing missiles and allegedly showing off its nuclear capabilities. Moreover, Trump, at that time, was using increasingly aggressive language. He had previously called Kim “little rocket man.” The heated rhetoric between the two leaders further strained the already tense relationship between their nations.
3. The Mystery of Covfefe
The bizarre ‘Covfefe’ tweet from former President Trump instantly went viral in the early hours of May 31, 2017. People wondered if he was okay or had fallen asleep mid-tweet. His press secretary, Sean Spicer, didn’t provide much clarity, simply saying the President knew what he meant. The indecipherable tweet became Trump’s third most retweeted post of that year before being deleted. Around six hours later, someone seemed to realize the mistake and tweeted “a cleanup on aisle covfefe” from Trump’s account. Despite its brevity, the ‘covfefe’ incident sparked an Internet frenzy – it was meme’d, printed on t-shirts, and became a pop culture phenomenon. An innocent typo evolved into one of the most puzzling moments of Trump’s presidency.
4. Trump’s Diplomatic Drama with China
Three American college basketball players were being held in China in November while Trump was traveling through Asia, and he attempted to get them released. Initially, Trump posted a question on Twitter , “Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” as per NBC News . When they did thank them, the real estate mogul tweeted, “To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You’re welcome.” However, a few days later, things changed, with Trump accusing the player’s father of not being appreciative enough. LaVar Ball refuted that Trump played a significant role in the players’ decision to return home, according to Vox .
5. Trump’s Response to the London Bridge Attack
In response to the terrorist attack on London Bridge, many felt a “conventional” President would have shown more caution, but Trump was not your typical president. Trump retweeted an article from Drudge Report that mentioned a possible terrorist attack in London in June, saying, “Fears of new terror attack after van ‘mows down 20 people’ on London Bridge.” After that, things took a more political turn as Trump claimed that his divisive travel ban was necessary in response to attacks like the one that occurred in London. “We need to be smart, vigilant and tough,” Trump stated via a tweet. “We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!” as per Washington Post . Trump made his tenth most retweeted post of the year during this string of tweets.
