Media, celebs and political opponents demand Trump 'denounce' fake video of him 'killing and assaulting' critics, say it could fuel violence
President Donald Trump is in the headlines for another controversy and this time, the credit goes to his loyalists. According to the New York Times, a macabre video of a fake Trump shooting, stabbing and assaulting his critics and the media was shown at a conference held by American Priority, a group of his supporters, at the president's resort in Miami last week. The video even included the logo of the Republican leader’s 2020 re-election bid and showed a number of internet memes, the NYT report added. Among the critics that Trump ‘assaulted and killed’ are former president Barack Obama and his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton. Late Arizona senator John McCain, who was from Trump's own GOP, wasn't spared either. The president was shown hitting out with weapons at mainstream media outlets that he often calls “fake” and the venue of the gory acts was at the ‘Church of Fake News’.
The video is taken from a clip of the film ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and shows Trump's head superimposed on the body of a character going berserk. NYT’s White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman though said that it was not precisely clear where at the conference was the video shown.
Understandably, the repercussion of this video was huge.
White House Correspondents' Association reacts
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) on Sunday, October 13, called on the president to denounce the video. WHCA president Jonathan Karl issued a statement after the NYT report came out in which it was said that all Americans should condemn the depiction of violence directed towards the journalists and political opponents of President Trump. “The WHCA is horrified by a video reportedly shown over the weekend at a political conference organized by the President’s supporters at the Trump National Doral in Miami. All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President’s political opponents,” it said.
Karl also said that they had cautioned the president earlier that his rhetoric could fuel violence and urged him and those involved with the conference to denounce the video and the violence projected in it.
The event's organizer denounced the video and said his organization was investigating how such objectionable content was shown at the event, The Hill -- one of the media outlets that was shown at the receiving end of ‘Trump’s fury’ in the video -- reported.
CNN, another major news outlet which is often targeted by Trump and was shown as the final casualty of the ‘bloodbath’ in the video, also released a statement reacting to the video. It said though this is not the first time Trump and his supporters have promoted violence against the media but it is “by far and away the worst”. It called the images “vile and horrific” and called on Trump and his associates to denounce the video. Anything less would only mean a tacit endorsement of the same, it added.
Condemnation for the video poured in from individuals as well -- from media, celebrity and political circles.
Josh Marshall, editor and publisher of TPM, another media outlet that Trump ‘brutally attacked’ in the video, said in a tweet: “welp. That’s disturbing”. Benjy Sarlin of NBC News, another victim in the video, said in a tweet: “Some of the targets in this video were sent bombs by a Trump superfan last year and the president responded by attacking the press. Saudi Arabia killed a Washington Post columnist and the WH stuck by their side. His backers get the text and subtext perfectly clearly.”
Carol Leonning, a reporter with the Washington Post, asked on seeing the video: “How low are we going to go? How much lower can we bear?”
Noted journalist and political commentator Nicholas Kristof called it “despicable” and felt those who were appalled by the video should not share it as that was giving the traders of hatred more publicity.
Veteran actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner called it “sick and disturbing” and accused Trump of inciting violence. He also called for the president’s impeachment. Another veteran actress Kathy Griffin, who in 2017 courted controversy by posting an image of a mock-severed head of Trump but apologized later, was not impressed to see herself getting ‘murdered’ in the video. She said the video was no joke.
Among Trump’s political opponents, Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke was vocal against the video. He said the content showing the president butchering journalists in a church is not funny and will only lead to the murder of more people.