Advertisement
Tech

CNN tweet accidentally puts Trump in crosshairs

This does not look good.

Photo of David Covucci

David Covucci

CNN Editor Chris Cillizza Tweets Image of Trump in Crosshairs

Conservatives have long believed that CNN has harbored an implicit bias against the president, and today they think they found their smoking gun.

Featured Video

A tweet by CNN Editor-at-Large Chris Cillizza showed what could be considered Trump in a gun sight. The article linked to a story about Donald Trump speaking at an event honoring fallen police officers.

The image was quickly picked up by conservative and right-leaning users on Twitter, upset over the portrayal and implication.

https://twitter.com/Chadwick_Moore/status/996491557195976704

Advertisement

Advertisement

Almost immediately after the uproar, Cillizza deleted the tweet and apologized, blaming it on a GIF maker.

https://twitter.com/CillizzaCNN/status/996454269493575682

Advertisement

People didn’t buy that excuse, however.

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/amber_athey/status/996485544606650368

While some in the media jumped to Cillizza’s defense, viewing it as an unintentional accident and deserving of the benefit of the doubt, others were less inclined.

When reached by the Daily Dot, Mike Cernovich, a conservative-leaning journalist, pondered how liberals would react if the president had posted an image of a journalist in a similar fashion.

“If Trump tweeted that out about a CNN anchor, what would [CNN] have said?” Cernovich wrote. He also referenced an Atlantic piece in 2011 that openly questioned whether a Sarah Palin ad was responsible for the Gabby Giffords’ shooting, a theory that has been discredited.

Advertisement

However, Cernovich, who originally posted about the image and helped kick-start the frenzy, deleted his tweet. When asked why, he wrote, “What if we collectively agreed to presume people are making honest mistakes, and give people some time to explain? That would be a better world.” 

What a novel concept.

READ MORE: 

Advertisement
 
The Daily Dot