Former top Clinton aide Jennifer Palmieri said President Trump’s retweet – showing Hillary Clinton getting whacked in the back with Trump’s golf ball – promoted violence against women.
‘I thought it was both appalling and it was very revealing about his state of mind,’ Palmieri said Monday on MSNBC. ‘It’s appalling because, let along being unable to let go of the election … that is promoting violence against women from the president of the United States.’
On Sunday morning, Trump retweeted a short video clip from Twitter user @fuctupmind, which called attention to ‘Donald Trump’s amazing golf swing.’
Hillary Clinton’s former Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri (pictured) argued that President Trump’s retweet showing Clinton being whacked by a golf ball promoted violence against women
Jennifer Palmieri (right) who served as President Obama’s communications director as well, spoke about the viral video Monday with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle (left)
President Donald Trump (left) retweeted a meme Sunday morning that looks like he had hit a golf ball into Hillary Clinton’s (right) back, making her fall
The video from the tweet used real footage of President Trump hitting a golf ball, sporting his trademark Make America Great Again hat
And then it splices in video of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state taking a tumble as she walked on board her government plane. The video uses an animated golf ball for added effect
President Trump is an avid golfer and has been to a golf club, and likely played the sport, 57 times since the beginning of his presidency
President Trump, photographed here in Aberdeen, Scotland, made waves in June when he was spotted riding over the green – a no, no – at his Bedminster, New Jersey resort
It spliced together video of Trump hitting a golf ball, with video of Clinton taking a tumble as she boarded a government plane during her time as secretary of state.
An animated golf ball was added to the clip to make it look like Trump was responsible for her fall.
‘For me, it just brought me back to those moments on the campaign trail when you would see him and then his supporters chanting, “Lock her up!”‘ recalled Palmieri, who had served as Clinton’s director of communications throughout the presidential campaign.
‘There are scenes that can fill you with revulsion, no matter who you voted for,’ Palmieri continued. ‘To see crowds like that cheering against a woman and to see the president of the United States retweet something that is … not just making light of, but suggesting it is a positive thing, to physically harm a woman.
Trump has gone back to his old ways, resurrecting his campaign nickname ‘Crooked Hillary’ for Clinton, as she’s debuted her campaign 2016 tell-all over the last week.
‘The “deplorables” came back to haunt Hillary. They expressed their feelings loud and clear. She spent big money but, in the end, had no game!’ Trump tweeted on Wednesday night.
‘Crooked Hillary Clinton blames everybody (and every thing) but herself for her election loss. She lost the debates and lost her direction!’ Trump said in a second tweet.
Clinton came biting back Thursday morning, trolling Trump with another one of her books.
‘If you didn’t like that book, try this one — some good lessons in here about working together to solve problems. Happy to send a copy,’ she shot back, including a picture of It Takes a Village, the children’s book she wrote in 1996 while serving as first lady.
Palmieri pointed out that all through Clinton’s life she’s faced sexist adversity.
She pointed to President Obama, then a candidate for president in the 2008 cycle, calling her ‘likable enough,’ while others in the media were commenting on her clothes.
‘Now what we see is something much uglier – an actual, physical harm against her,’ Palmieri said.
The former Clinton aide, who was President Obama’s White House communications director, suggested that one of the positives from Clinton writing her book is that Americans can consider why there’s so much hatred surrounding the former Democratic nominee, which Palmieri labeled as ‘irrational.’
Palmieri had her own thoughts.
‘Whatever role she has been in … she’s challenged the way we thought about women and that vexes people,’ Palmieri said. ‘That doesn’t mean everyone is sexist, or everyone is a misogynist, we’re just not sure what to make of her because there is no role model.’
Clinton was the first female major party nominee. Before that, she was the first former first lady to enter politics. And before that she was the first first lady to be handed a policy portfolio within the White House, as she tried to push health care reform in the 1990s.
Clinton, who also served as secretary of state, has been on a media blitz for her new book, What Happened, which looks back at the election and is why she has received new Trump fire.
Palmieri called the Sunday Trump tweet ‘blatantly gross.’
‘It just couldn’t be more distressing,’ she said.
MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle chimed in, adding, ‘It’s beneath the dignity of an adult.’
Over on another network, Ana Navarro, a Republican who does not support Trump, echoed the sentiment on CNN Sunday.
‘If your six-year-old son did this, he’d be punished. And so this 71-year-old should not be accepted. This is – he’s being a jerk and he’s not being a President,’ she told the network’s Dana Bash.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was also not pleased, calling the tweet ‘appalling’ and ‘disgusting,’ but refusing to mention Trump’s name in a statement she released.
‘He continues to obsessively lash out at her – at his rallies, with his words and now through social media – in a manner that is utterly unbecoming of the president of the United States,’ she said.
‘Every one of us should be offended by the vindictive and candidly dangerous messages the president sends that demean not only Secretary Clinton, but all women,’ Feinstein continued.
‘Grow up and do your job,’ the California Democrat added.
Twitter user @fuctupmind – who was behind the anti-Clinton golf video – had previously dashed off anti-Semitic and sexist tweets, including one that called Clinton ‘the medical equivalent to herpes’ and one that called for ‘getting rid’ of Hasidic Jews.
BuzzFeed News first reported on the anti-Semitic tweets and asked the White House for comment, with no response from the Trump administration.