SAY WHAT?
‘Lincoln Was Shot’: Internet Destroys ‘Victim in Chief’ Trump for Declaring He’s Treated ‘Worse Than Lincoln’
President Donald Trump gave Fox News an interview Sunday night and complained he is treated “worse than” President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated.
The interview, billed as a virtual town hall, took place at the Lincoln Memorial, just feet away from the 19-foot tall statue of the nation’s 16th president. The space is considered sacred. On its steps Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Trump’s remarks were in response to a question about his attacks on reporters.
“I am greeted by a hostile press, the likes of which no President has ever seen,” the nation’s 45th President declared, falsely, defending his relentless and often personal attacks on reporters. “The closest would be that gentleman right up there,” Trump said, pointing to Lincoln.
“They always said Lincoln – nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse. You there, you see those press conferences, they come at me with questions that are disgraceful, to be honest. Disgraceful. Their manner of presentation and their words. And I feel if I was kind to them, I would be walked off the stage.”
Trump repeatedly calls the press “the enemy of the people.”
Americans on social media were outraged. Many noted President Lincoln fought the Civil War and was assassinated. Others rightly noted many other Presidents have been had to withstand harsher questioning by the press, including modern day Presidents Nixon, Ford, Obama, and both Bush 41 and Bush 43. Others noted the interview was hosted by a conservative network that is devoted to defending him 24/7.
Here are some of the responses:
Anyone maybe wanna tell him how things ended for Lincoln?
— Cliff Schecter (@cliffschecter) May 4, 2020
Wait.. he does know what happened to Lincoln, right?
— Nia Bloom (@NiaBloom6) May 4, 2020
In case anyone’s wondering, the President just said he’s been treated worse than Lincoln while sitting at the Lincoln memorial.
This was in response to a questioner who pleaded with him to be less divisive.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 4, 2020
Who’s gonna tell him who Abraham Lincoln was? https://t.co/hhOqC6Y2nn
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) May 4, 2020
Lincoln…the one that was literally murdered, you’re being treated worse than a guy that was murdered? https://t.co/TfUdPE3edl
— Bobby Pantuso (@BobbyPantuso) May 4, 2020
Video of President Trump, sitting at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial, saying is he being treated worse than President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated after freeing enslaved people across America. https://t.co/PHBVFHpCox
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) May 4, 2020
I bet in a private moment Lincoln might have begged to differ—
though he wasn’t one for whining and self-pity, even while he struggled to save the Republic…before he was assassinated. https://t.co/mN1NuIO7Pm— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) May 4, 2020
The context of his remarks is slightly narrower, but who cares? An act of disrespect for the venue and the legacy of the office. https://t.co/QJGxvAnq9S
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) May 4, 2020
Trump says he’s been treated worse than Lincoln by the press. Here’s a an actual newspaper from when Lincoln was assassinated. pic.twitter.com/qhg7sTqRr7
— Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) May 4, 2020
Trump is a #snowflake president
— obmofo (@objets2001) May 4, 2020
Having spent all 8 years in White House communications, I can’t tell you how many times I cursed aloud hearing questions from the press corps to Obama in press conferences. We didn’t spend the rest of the presidency whining about it because there was real work to do. https://t.co/R7AFG9Pnd7
— Jesse Lee (@JesseCharlesLee) May 4, 2020
Here’s a roundup of Helen Thomas going after every president from Nixon to Obama. Check out her question to GWB about Iraq:https://t.co/lfl78SHkfs
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 4, 2020
Our “tough” Victim in Chief who spent two years claiming our former President was born in a Kenya. https://t.co/qYnn2S9Wv2
— Amerilicious (@peabodypress) May 4, 2020
I can’t find a clip of Donaldson yelling at Reagan — it was so common, Kevin Nealon used to do it as a bit on SNL — but here’s an example of his bluntness and tenaciousness, when he basically calls Reagan a liar: https://t.co/wrvaH9N4S3
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 4, 2020
I disagree. https://t.co/SGPjUEtJXm
— Abraham Lincoln (@15minswlincoln) May 4, 2020
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