Ultimate troll? Trump tweets meme-y CNN video amid Hurricane Dorian ‘Sharpie’ scandal
The internet is in meltdown mode after Donald Trump tweeted a CNN-mocking meme inspired by his recent briefing on Hurricane Dorian. Media outlets accused Trump of making erroneous changes to a map showing the hurricane’s path.
Reports allege that during a White House briefing, Trump incorrectly altered a map with a Sharpie felt pen to highlight areas of Alabama that could be targeted by the cyclone. The hurricane never hit the state, sparking allegations that Trump had made the whole thing up.
Trump posted a series of tweets defending his statement, insisting that initial forecasts predicted that the southern state was at risk. But on Saturday night, the US president unveiled the ultimate argument-winning weapon: A cleverly-edited video of a cat, sitting on a CNN logo, chasing a laser pointer ‘held’ by Trump, with the president’s infamous Dorian map in the background. Checkmate, fake news?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2019
Although Trump didn’t include a written explanation for why he posted the video, internet sleuths hypothesized that the meme illustrates how the media are easily distracted by whatever the president says or does.
The cat is the media being distracted by all the nonsensical stories Trump throws out there. https://t.co/2d3yn5XlDf
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 8, 2019
Whatever its intention, the tweet caused mass pandemonium in the Twitterverse, with netizens expressing disbelief that the commander-in-chief would dare to post a meme on the internet.
Is this seriously a tweet from the president of the United States?
— Elizabeth Vargas (@EVargasTV) September 8, 2019
Why is the president of the United States tweeting a video at midnight of him with that altered weather map and a cat chasing a laser pointer?
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 8, 2019
Not everyone thought it was a sign of the End Times, however. Many Twitter users applauded Trump for his sense of humor, while others shared their own Sharpiegate-inspired memes.
A President with a great sense of humor late on a Saturday night, how can you not love President Trump? 🤣
— Michael Samuels (@MSamuels_LINY) September 8, 2019
#Catagory5Moronpic.twitter.com/gi1aQyRtdH
— Eugene W (@NOW1SOLAR) September 8, 2019
This isn’t the first time that Trump has posted a meme mocking CNN. The president ignited a media feeding frenzy after sharing a video in which he is portrayed wrestling and punching a figure whose head has been replaced by CNN’s logo. The network hunted down the meme’s creator, who apologized after CNN threatened to reveal his identity.
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