Those wondering if Trump would change his tweeting ways now that he is president – and has not just one, his personal @realDonaldTrump account, but two including the official @POTUS username – got an answer in three parts this morning, when Trump greeted Sunday morning with three tweets addressing three distinct media newslines over the weekend.
In his first tweet at around 7:35am Sunday, Trump said he had a “great” meeting at CIA headquarters on Saturday, and appearing to seek a restoration of cordial relations, said the CIA had amazing people, not forgetting to note that he got “long standing ovations.”
“Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!”
Had a great meeting at CIA Headquarters yesterday, packed house, paid great respect to Wall, long standing ovations, amazing people. WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2017
In remarks at CIA HQ on Saturday, Trump blasted the media, accusing news networks of lying about the size of his inauguration crowd, a topic that would later dominate one of the most bizarre White House press briefings. “Honestly it looked like a million and half people, whatever it was it was. But it went all the way back to the Washington Monument … and by mistake I get this network and it showed an empty field, and it said we drew 250,000 people. Now that’s not bad, but it’s a lie,” Trump said.
Trump also blamed the “dishonest” media for reports of a “feud” with the intelligence community. “I have a running war with the media,” Trump said. “They are among the most dishonest human beings on earth. And they sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. And just want to let you know that the reason you’re the No. 1 stop is exactly the opposite.”
After Trump’s remarks Former CIA Director John Brennan was reportedly “deeply saddened.” Former CIA deputy chief of staff Nick Shapiro said Brennan believes that Trump “should be ashamed of himself” for his “display of self-aggrandizement.” “Former CIA director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump’s despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA’s Memorial Wall of Agency heroes. Brennan says that Trump should be ashamed of himself,” Shapiro said in a pair of tweets.
In his second tweet, showing he has no plans of moving beyond the topic of his inauguration’s popularity, Trump boasted:
“Wow, television ratings just out: 31 million people watched the Inauguration, 11 million more than the very good ratings from 4 years ago!”
Wow, television ratings just out: 31 million people watched the Inauguration, 11 million more than the very good ratings from 4 years ago!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2017
Bloomberg reported on Saturday that according to Nielsen data, Trump’s ratings were higher than Obama’s second election in 2013, but below the first inauguration in 2009 which drew a national audience of 37.8 million, the second-largest since 1969. Bill Clinton’s first inauguration was also slightly lower. Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration in 1981 holds the audience record at 41.8 million viewers. Inexplicably, nearly 35 million people watched Jimmy Carter swear the oath of allegiance in 1977.
As noted above, Trump slammed the media for underreporting crowd size for the inauguration, first during a speech at the CIA, and second when his spokesman Sean Spicer chided the press for misreporting the size of Friday’s crowd, calling it “shameful and wrong.”
“This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe,” Sean Spicer said during his first official appearance in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
Finally, addressing yesterday’s countrywide women’s protests, Trump raised questions about whether protesters who marched in Washington and around the nation a day earlier voted in the presidential election.
“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.“
Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2017
According to to a review of official and unofficial estimates from the nation’s largest cities and press reports, at least 3 million protesters on Saturday swamped the streets of Washington, D.C. and cities across the world on the first full day of Trump’s presidency. Large turnouts were reported in Boston, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles as organizers for the main rally and march in Washington, D.C. grappled with huge numbers of demonstrators. Half a million people showed up at the National Mall and nearby streets for the Women’s March on Washington. Both Democratic nominees, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, tweeted in support of the marchers.
At the event in Washington, D.C., a number of Democratic lawmakers and celebrities encouraged demonstrators to take action in the wake of a Trump presidency. After lashing out in a “f-bomb” filled tirade against Trump, Madonna said that she had “thought an awful lot about blowing up the white house”, but that in the end she “chose love.”
On Sunday morning, Trump on the other hand, chose to tweet, and suggest that either the protesters did not vote, or if they did, that they are ignoring the will of the majority.
via http://ift.tt/2jlBwzy Tyler Durden