Brian Bennett
June 29, 2017
President Trump personally mocked television host Mika Brzezinski in vulgar terms on Twitter, drawing quick condemnations from leading Republicans as he once again generated a controversy while his White House struggles to get traction on its agenda. As Brzezinski's MSNBC show "Morning Joe" came to a close about 9 a.m., Trump insulted Brzezinski and her co-host Joe Scarborough, calling them "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe," adding that he had at one point seen Brzezinski "bleeding badly from a face-lift." The tweets were the latest in a barrage of attacks by Trump and his White House against media organizations, including CNN, the New York Times and Washington Post, which he has accused of publishing false stories critical of his administration.
They came at an especially fraught time for the administration, and Republican congressional leaders moved quickly to repudiate his words. The reaction underscored the increasing sense on Capitol Hill that members of his party increasingly have little fear of publicly contradicting the president. Recent polling has shown that even among Republican voters, many view his tweets as a distraction.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Trump’s latest statements. “I don’t think that the president’s ever been someone who gets attacked and doesn’t push back,” she said in an interview on Fox News. “There have been an outrageous number of personal attacks, not just at him but to frankly everyone around him.”
Sen. Susan Collins ✔
@SenatorCollins
This has to stop – we all have a job – 3 branches of gov’t and media. We don’t have to get along, but we must show respect and civility.
10:18 AM - 29 Jun 2017
Lindsey Graham ✔ @LindseyGrahamSC
Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.
9:15 AM - 29 Jun 2017
