Trump campaign releases 'Fredo Unhinged' t-shirts mocking Chris Cuomo after CNN anchor's viral outburst in NY bar
President Trump's 2020 re-election campaign was quick to pounce on CNN star Chris Cuomo's recent meltdown after introducing a t-shirt for sale that mocks the journalist for a videotaped rant that went viral on social media.
Cuomo was outraged after a man referred to him as "Fredo" and threatened to throw him down a flight of stairs as he launched an expletive-laden diatribe while being recorded on a cellphone camera, Daily Mail reports.
Fredo Corleone was a central character in 'The Godfather' (played by John Cazale) and was portrayed as the dimwitted and disloyal older brother of Michael Corleone.
That said, the Trump campaign's newly released t-shirt is listed at $34 and is emblazoned with the words 'FREDO UNHINGED' coupled with still shots from the video.
"CNN’s Chris Cuomo is Fredo!" their website reads. "The truth hurts. He totally lost it. Help us annoy Chris Cuomo and buy your 'Fredo Unhinged Tee' now!"
Brad Parscale, Trump's campaign manager, announced in a tweet that only "a limited supply" would be available. A couple of hours later he wrote the shirts were "[s]elling faster than Fredo's meltdown! Thank you #FredoCuomo for filling up our coffers. You have now directly supported the POTUS!"
The commander-in-chief tweeted about the Cuomo clash at least nine times on Tuesday, kicking into overdrive the war between the White House and its least favorite news network.
Trump even called out Fox News Channel star Sean Hannity for coming to Cuomo's defense.
"When a Conservative does even a fraction of what Chris Cuomo did with his lunatic ranting, raving, & cursing, they get destroyed by the Fake News," Trump complained. "But when a Liberal Democrat like Chris Cuomo does it, Republicans immediately come to his defense. We never learn!"
Before dinnertime, Trump launched a final attack against CNN, mocking them for their alarming drop in ratings since he was elected into office. In the meantime, MSNBC became a home for Trump's left-leaning opponents and saw a spike in their viewership.
"Without being stuck at an airport, where CNN buys (at a big price) an uninterested audience, they’ve got nothing going. @CNN is BAD for America!" he tweeted.
However, the network said in a statement that Cuomo "defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him."
The president had previously attacked Cuomo just after the video surfaced, saying he's too mentally unstable to own a firearm and that he had proved it with his vulgar language.
"I think that what Chris Cuomo did was horrible. His language was horrible," Trump told reporters in New Jersey before departing for Pennsylvania. "He looked like a total, out-of-control animal. He lost it. And, frankly, I don’t think anybody should defend him because he spews lies every night. I don’t know who is defending him. Maybe they didn't see it."
He even likened Cuomo's behavior to a possible 'red flag' warning.
"I would not have wanted to see a weapon in his hand," Trump said. "I guess his fist is not a weapon or he would have done something. You know, he talked about it but he didn’t do anything."
"Would Chris Cuomo be given a Red Flag for his recent rant?" he tweeted earlier. "Filthy language and a total loss of control. He shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon. He’s nuts!"
Having said that, the man who had rattled the CNN anchor in the controversial footage claimed he thought Cuomo's first name was Fredo, especially since conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh refers to him by that nickname.
Trump first chimed in when CNN was reeling from the public relations disaster caused by Cuomo after he threatened to "f***ing throw [the man] down these stairs like a f***ing punk."
"I thought Chris was Fredo also," Trump tweeted. "The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN."
Following his outburst, Cuomo, a consistently anti-Trump TV figure, protested that "Fredo" was a pejorative term "like the N-word for Italians."