Fake video of Donald Trump shooting media, critics shown at his resort
Several of Trump’s top surrogates — including his son Donald Trump Jr, his former spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis — were scheduled to speak at the three-day conference, which was held by a pro-Trump group, American Priority, at Trump National Doral Miami. Sanders and a person close to Trump’s son said on Sunday that they did not see the video at the conference.
The video, which includes the logo for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, comprises a series of internet memes. The most violent clip shows Trump’s head superimposed on the body of a man opening fire inside the “Church of Fake News” on parishioners who have the faces of his critics or the logos of media organisations superimposed on their bodies. During the rampage, the Trump character strikes the late senator John McCain on the back of the neck and torches the head of Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential rival. He throws Republican senator Mitt Romney to the ground and strikes former president Barack Obama in the back and slams him against a wall. Other targets included Democratic Representative Maxine Waters, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Representative Adam Schiff, who as Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is leading the impeachment inquiry of Trump.
The clip ends with Trump putting a stake into the head of a person with a CNN logo for a face. Trump then stands on the altar, admiring his rampage, and smiles. The Washington Post, BBC, PBS, NBC and Politico are among the other news organisations depicted as victims of the fake Trump’s violent fury.
The video appears to be an edited scene of a church massacre from the 2014 dark comedy film “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” In the original scene, actor Colin Firth is depicted shooting a crowd of churchgoers. The video is similar in style to one Trump tweeted in July 2017, in which he is shown at a wrestling match body slamming CNN’s logo and beating it up. The president was criticised for encouraging violence against journalists by posting that clip, but his supporters enjoyed it, and helped make the tweet viral.
A person who attended the conference last week took a video of the clip on his phone and had an intermediary send it to a reporter for the NYT. Parts of the video were posted on YouTube in 2018 by a user with a history of creating pro-Trump mash-ups.
The organiser of the event said in a statement on Sunday that the clip had been played at the conference, saying it was part of a “meme exhibit.” He denounced the video and said his organisation was looking into how it was shown at the event. “Content was submitted by third parties and was not associated with or endorsed by the conference in any official capacity,” said the organiser, Alex Phillips. “American Priority rejects all political violence.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted that Trump will see the video shortly and that, “based upon everything he has heard, he strongly condemns this video.” A spokesman for Trump’s campaign said he knew nothing about the video. “That video was not produced by the campaign, and we do not condone violence,” said Tim Murtaugh, the spokesman.
CNN wrote on Twitter: “This is not the first time that supporters of the President have promoted violence against the media in a video they apparently find entertaining, but it is by far and away the worst.” The network called on the White House to denounce the clip, saying “anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence.” The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents journalists covering the president, also called on Trump to denounce the meme.
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References
- ^ Donald Trump (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Florida (www.happytrips.com)
- ^ Bernie Sanders (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ Barack Obama (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
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