Hot takes flood in after President Trump aims Twitter attack at Mika Brzezinski
President Trump went after MSNBC "Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski via Twitter on Thursday morning, prompting a wave of commentary from media pundits and politicians alike.
To get you up to speed, here are the Trump tweets on which many are sounding off:
I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
Click through to see the varied hot takes that emerged in the wake of Trump's personal attack:
From GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham to CNN contributor Ana Navarro, public figures from the private and public sector took the opportunity to weigh in on President Trump's going after the MSNBC host.
"Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America," Sen. Graham wrote via Twitter.
Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 29, 2017
Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan responded when asked about Trump's statement on Thursday, saying, "Obviously, I don't see that as an appropriate comment."
Paul Ryan on Trump's morning tweets: "Obviously, I don't see that as an appropriate comment." "pic.twitter.com/9MvsyxZPzJ
— Axios (@axios) June 29, 2017
Conservative pundit Laura Ingraham also weighed in via Twitter, saying the president should exercise "message discipline" in focusing communications efforts on immigration legislation before the House of Representatives today.
MESSAGE DISCIPLINE! Today ALL comms coming out of WH shd be focused on #KatesLaw and #NoSanctuaryforCriminalsAct -- not cable TV hosts.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 29, 2017
Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders adamantly defended President Trump in the wake of his Twitter outburst, saying the commander in chief is "fighting fire with fire."
Deputy WH Press Secretary VIGOROUSLY defends Trump's ad hominem attacks on Mika Brzezinski, saying he won't be bullied pic.twitter.com/Wcf8913PAQ
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 29, 2017
And then Sen. Orrin Hatch chimed in with a seemingly sympathetic response to Trump's tweet, saying "every once in awhile you get a dipsy-doodle!"
Sen. @OrrinHatch not a fan of today's POTUS missives but ok w/ tweeting habit overall: "Every once in awhile you get a dipsy-doodle!"
— Kayla Tausche (@kaylatausche) June 29, 2017
While Republicans were more tempered in their responses to the Twitter rhetoric, Democratic lawmakers were less-so tempered in speaking out on the tweets.
Rep. Barbara Lee of California fired off multiple tweets in response to Trump's Mika-aimed tweets -- saying her GOP colleagues are "complicit in the sexism & bigotry incited by Trump" if they do not speak out.
When leaders are bullies, it’s an implicit license to others – sexual harassers, white supremacists, islamophobes – to spread their hate.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 29, 2017
It’s up to everyone to reject this behavior. By not speaking out, my GOP colleagues are complicit in the sexism & bigotry incited by Trump.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 29, 2017