CNN's fight against Donald Trump is far from over, especially after the U.S. leader triggered their ongoing dispute when he uploaded a controversial video on social media last week. The 28-second video was an edited clip from a "WWE" fight where the POTUS was seen punching a man with CNN's logo on his face.
The president came under fire for allegedly promoting violence against the members of the media, while others thought he was using the presidential platform to fire back at his detractors. The anti-media post came after Trump was mired in a controversy over his sexist remarks against MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski.
Fighting fire with fire
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president was only defending himself from being the regular target of Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scaraborough's personal attacks on their morning talk show. She added that the leader is not expected to sit back and watch his detractors hit him below the belt. The Principal Deputy also guaranteed that Trump will not allow the "liberal media" and "Hollywood elites" to criticize this administration.
But before his issue with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scaraborough could even die down, the POTUS has once again slammed the media and turned to CNN as the next target of his Twitter tirade. Trump labeled the network a "Fraud News" and "Fake News" alongside the controversial "WWE" video.
#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017
According to The Washington Times, CNN allegedly threatened to expose the identity of the user who uploaded the clip on Reddit, and who has issued a lengthy apology over the issue. The uploader said the post was made for entertainment and not to promote violence in any forms.
"It was a prank, nothing more. What the President's feed showed was not the original post," it added, claiming that someone edited the one it posted on Reddit.
Internet trends #CNNBlackmail over the issue "WWE" video
CNN's threat to reveal the identity of the Reddit user did not please the public who turned to social media to call out the news agency.
Most of them criticized the network for allegedly blackmailing a minor citizen who already apologized for its internet memes and videos, while others accused the outlet of rejecting freedom of speech.
Forget that. CNN is suppressing free speech here. They have NO authority to decide what a person believes or posts! #CNNthugs #CNNBlackmail
— cj (@Whamo20) July 5, 2017
I read that CNN blackmailed a 15 year old!! Not only is this extortion, but it's against a minor. That's sick. #SAD #CNNBlackmail
— 🇺🇸Candace House🇺🇸 (@TexGal4Life) July 5, 2017
The internet outcry came after CNN said they are reserving the right to reveal the identity of the Reddit user should he behave contrary to what he promised in his apology. This particular condition was deemed problematic considering that the gigantic company is dealing with a 15-year-old private citizen.
