mocked “low I.Q. Crazy Mika” for “bleeding badly from a face-lift?”

Trump attacked the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, in tweets where he said she was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” when he saw her at his Florida resort.

Brzezinski responded with a tweet that showcased a box of Cheerios that had on it, “made for little hands.” It was a reference to when Trump defended the size of his hands and penis during a Republican primary debate.

The press secretary at the time, Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the tweets:

I think the president has been attacked mercilessly on personal accounts, by members on that program, and I think he’s been very clear that when he gets attacked, he’s going to hit back… I think the American people elected somebody who’s tough, who’s smart and who’s a fighter and that’s Donald Trump.

The show hosts and Trump had had a long and contentious relationship. There have also been subsequent jabs at each other, such as when Brzezinski referred to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as “a wannabe-dictator’s butt boy,” for which she later apologized.

Trump has also accused Brzezinski’s husband and co-host Joe Scarborough of murder.

The Hill – Trump mocks ‘low I.Q. Crazy Mika’ for ‘face-lift’
Business Insider – Trump lobs attack at ‘low I.Q.’ Mika Brzezinski, says ‘Morning Joe’ host was ‘bleeding badly from a face-lift’ at Mar-a-Lago
The Guardian – Trump targets Morning Joe co-hosts in latest Twitter tirade against media
BBC News – Trump mocks TV host Mika Brzezinski’s ‘bleeding facelift’

attacked late night hosts and comedy shows?

Before and after taking office, Trump has attacked a variety of comedians and late night hosts, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Bill Maher.

Many late night hosts were happy to address the comments on their shows.

He also has attacked Saturday Night Live multiple times, though claiming that he doesn’t watch it. He referred to their anti-Republican bias as “the real Collusion” and was voiced his frustration that they would spend so much time attacking his administration “without retribution.” He suggested that the Federal Election Commission and Federal Communications Commission investigate.

Unsurprisingly, this also drew more attention from SNL and late night hosts.

Trump has also taken specific aim at Alec Baldwin for his impression of Trump on Saturday Night Live:

Michelle Wolfe was also mentioned several times for her comments during the 2018 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, which were derided as being too vulgar and inappropriate. Trump has refused to attend any Correspondent’s Dinner since becoming President, and was famously roasted by Obama and Seth Meyers at the 2015 Correspondent’s Dinner.

Newsweek – Trump Wants ‘Retribution’ Against SNL and Critical News, Calling Media ‘Enemy of the People’
USA Today – Trump sounds off on ‘no talent’ late-night hosts; Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert fire back

accused Joe Scarborough of murder?

Trump first tweeted the claim in 2017 about Lori Klausutis, who worked in Scarborough’s Fort Walton Beach congressional office. She was found dead in the office in 2001. Scarborough served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 as a Republican for the 1st district of Florida.

File:Lori Klausutis.png
Lori Klausutis

The coroner discovered an undiagnosed heart condition and reported that Klausutis passed out and hit her head as she fell. He said she was not struck by another person. Scarborough was in Washington, DC at the time of her death.

At the time of Trump’s comments, Scarborough was host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe alongside wife and co-host Mika Brzezinski, who was also personally targeted by Trump for “bleeding badly from a face-lift.”

Trump renewed attacks in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time of the May 4 tweet, nearly 70,000 Americans had died of COVID-19. At the time of his May 12 tweet, it had reached over 80,000.

Scarborough responded on his show, in which he called the comments “extraordinarily cruel” and likened the claims to the Seth Rich conspiracy theories.

AP News – AP FACT CHECK: Scarborough staffer death not a “mystery”
Politifact – PolitiFact: Donald Trump’s Pants on Fire ‘unsolved mystery’ attack on Joe Scarborough
Politico – Trump promotes conspiracy theory accusing MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough of murder
The Hill – Trump raises conspiracy theory to attack MSNBC’s Scarborough
Wikipedia – Joe Scarborough
Worldometer – Coronavirus, United States

attacked Obama over his handling of Ebola?

For four months, Trump railed against Obama’s handling of Ebola during the 2014 crisis. Trump demanded that all travel from Western Africa be immediately halted, promising that the crisis will “ONLY GET WORSE.” Saying that the government’s handling of the crisis was “almost like he’s saying F-you to U.S. public,” he warned about how “All the governors are already backing off of the Ebola quarantines.”

There were 11 total American cases of Ebola, resulting in 2 deaths. Neither of those who died contracted Ebola from within the United States. The CDC announced the first diagnosis September 30, 2014, and the last infected person was released from the hospital November 11.

Ebola outbreak in the United States / Wikipedia

During his Presidency, Trump repeatedly downplayed the severity of COVID-19. His administration implemented limited travel bans that only extended to non-US citizens and residents, failed to implement travel checks and tracing for the disease, and continually pushed for states to reopen their economies. Trump claimed he had total authority over governors to make policy in their states.

Fox News also drew attention for the discrepancy between their reporting on the handling of Ebola under Obama and COVID-19 under Trump.

An incomplete list of Trump’s tweets about Obama’s handling of Ebola follows:

Wikipedia – Ebola virus cases in the United States
Trump Twitter Archive

said the economy does better under Democrat leadership?

In a 2004 interview, Trump said he identified more with Democrats because he believed that the economy does better under their leadership.

I’ve been around for a long time and it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump blamed Obama, Democratic presidential candidates, and the federal reserve for economic problems during his tenure.

I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates on that stage making fools out of themselves.

The Fed was not good, as far as I’m concerned, and that was a big blip that should not have taken place, should not have happened…that was just killer when they raised the rate, it was just a big mistake, and they admit to it.

Forbes -Trump Is Right About One Thing: ‘The Economy Does Better Under The Democrats’
Politifact – Does the economy always do better under Democratic presidents? 

said of NFL players kneeling in protest, “get that son of a bitch off the field”?

At an Alabama rally on September 23, 2017, Trump explained how he wanted to see NFL players fired for protesting the US flag and national anthem.

Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag to say, ‘get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!

Trump’s remarks came after dozens of players across the regular and preseasons took a knee during the national anthem. They had joined Colin Kaepernick in protest the season prior, who was not on an NFL roster at the time of Trump’s remarks.

Kaepernick explained that the reason for his protest was because he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” He was advised to take a knee by NFL player and former US Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, who considered it a form of protest most respectful to other service members.

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Trump praised a later NFL ban on kneeling players, suggesting such protests were un-American:

You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there, maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.

NBC Sports -Trump to anthem protesters: ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field’
NFL.com – Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem
NPR – The Veteran And NFL Player Who Advised Kaepernick To Take A Knee
BBC News – Trump: NFL kneelers ‘maybe shouldn’t be in country’

was called a “dotard” by Kim Jong-un?

The remark came after Trump said he would “totally destroy” North Korea if the US had to defend itself, and referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as “rocket man,” in a speech to the United Nations.

Kim Jong-un issued a retort on North Korean state media in which he called Trump a “mentally deranged dotard.”

The statement continued, saying Trump was “unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country,” and was “a rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire.”

When relations between the US and North Korea again started to worsen in 2019, the latter threatened the resumption of such insults.

Dotage is defined by Merriam-Websters as “a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness.”

Trump, after meeting Kim Jong-un at the Singapore Summit later said that if he was wrong about trusting the dictator, he’d “find some kind of excuse.”

USA Today – North Korean leader: Trump is ‘mentally deranged’
BBC News – ‘Dotard’ Trump? The story of ‘rocket man’ Kim’s insult
AP News – North Korea threatens to resume calling Trump ‘dotard’
Merriam-Webster – Dotard

said the Pope would wish Trump were President when ISIS attacks the Vatican?

During a visit to Mexico, Pope Francis said in 2016 of Trump,

A person who thinks only about building walls, where they may be, not not building bridges, is not a Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether to vote or not vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I only say that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that.

In a retort, Trump said that the Pope was being manipulated by the Mexican government. He replied at a rally,

If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened.

Trump has repeatedly referred to himself as a Christian, though he was unable to recite a single verse from the Bible. He also had fairly positive views of Pope Francis upon the pope’s election.

In another tweet, Trump linked the humbleness of the Pope to his own. Trump also bragged about his own humility during the 2016 campaign.

Pope Francis’ views of Trump continued to be more mixed.

Trump visits the Pope at the Vatican, May 24, 2017. EVAN VUCCI/AFP/Getty Images

During a 2017 visit to the Vatican that was described as “stiff,” Pope Francis gifted Trump with copies of his writings, including an encyclical on climate change. Trump has derided climate change as a Chinese hoax.

Pope Francis also criticized Trump’s border and family separation policy, comparing it to the Berlin Wall.

It falls into the greatest cruelty. To defend what? The territory, or the economy of the country, or who knows what? We already know one wall, the Berlin Wall that brought us enough headaches and enough suffering…. But it seems that man does what animals do not do, doesn’t it? Man is the only animal that falls twice into the same hole.

On Trump’s move to repeal DACA, the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Pope Francis said,

The president of the United States presents himself as pro-life and if he is a good pro-lifer, he understands that family is the cradle of life and its unity must be protected.

The Hill – Pope Francis appears to knock Trump with appeal to build bridges instead of walls
NPR – ‘He Is Something’: Trump Visits Pope Francis At The Vatican
America Magazine – Pope Francis calls Trump’s border policy ‘cruel,’ compares southern barriers to Berlin Wall
CNN – Pope Francis says rescinding DACA is not ‘pro-life’

avoided responsibility for the disbanding of the White House pandemic office?

In 2018, the White House global health security team, an office within the National Security Council, was disbanded. When asked about its closure amid the COVID19 pandemic, Trump replied, “Well, I just think it’s a nasty question…I don’t know anything about it. I mean, you say we did that. I don’t know anything about it.”

When the reporter asked to confirm that he didn’t know about a reorganization of the National Security Council, Trump continued, “It’s the administration, perhaps they do that, let people do, you used to be with a different newspaper than you are now, you know things like that happen.”

When the reporter persisted, her audio was cut as Trump said, “we’re doing a great job.”

While the original pandemic team was disbanded, it was then restructured into what was intended to be a leaner and more effective organization. John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, stated that the change did not reduce the administration’s effectiveness against COVID-19. Bolton published The Room Where It Happened in June 2020 about his time in the administration, which sought to block its release.

The 2020 federal budget proposal for 2021 also included cuts to the Center for Disease Control. During a hearing about the proposal on March 10, 2020, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed that they still sought the same cuts to the CDC. On that day, the United States had over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID19.

Axios – Trump says he doesn’t know anything about pandemic office his admin disbanded
The Washington Post – Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly
The Hill – Trump budget chief holds firm on CDC cuts amid virus outbreak
Reuters – Partly false claim: Trump fired entire pandemic response team in 2018
Wikipedia – John Bolton

attacked a reporter for asking what he’d say to scared Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

During a COVID-19 press conference on March 20, 2020, NBC reporter Peter Alexander asked, “What do you say to Americans who are scared though? I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?”

Trump replied, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter. That’s what I say. I think that’s a very nasty question.” He went on to say that the reporter should be ashamed.

The exchange came after Trump promoted an unproven drug treatment, which Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, corrected.

NBC News – Trump, promoting unproven drug treatments, insults NBC reporter at coronavirus briefing
The Hill – Trump campaign attacks NBC reporter as White House briefing begins

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