US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on the news media Sunday by tweeting a video — bizarre even by his standards — showing him knocking down and beating a professional wrestling “villain” whose face had been replaced by a CNN logo.
The 10-year-old video, hailing back to Trump’s days as a guest celebrity at pro-wrestling events, came after a week in which his unrestrained Twitter attacks on two MSNBC talk show hosts drew widespread condemnation from members of both political parties.
The latest tweet was immediately condemned by journalists, who said Trump seemed to be promoting physical violence against the media, while a Republican lawmaker said the president was trying to “weaponize distrust” through his postings. But administration officials insisted Trump has a right to respond to critical coverage.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/881503147168071680
In the 28-second video, Trump, in a suit and tie, is seen knocking down another man in a suit who is standing next to a wrestling ring. Trump repeatedly pummels the fallen man, whose face is covered by a superimposed CNN logo. A fake CNN logo then appears on the screen reading “FNN: Fraud News Network.”
A longer version of the video online shows that the man being beaten was World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) owner-promoter Vince McMahon, a friend of Trump’s. In that version, Trump also gets in the ring to shave McMahon’s head as part of the “The Battle of the Billionaires” at the WrestleMania 23 event.
