Conservatives attacked CNN editor at large Chris Cillizza for a tweet criticizing President Trump’s use of the word “riots” to describe the violence seen in major cities this summer.
“Trump’s efforts to label what is happening in major cities as ‘riots’ speaks at least somewhat to his desperation, politically speaking, at the moment,” Cillizza tweeted Sunday.
Trump’s efforts to label what is happening in major cities as “riots” speaks at least somewhat to his desperation, politically speaking, at the momenthttps://t.co/tQJ495xOZK pic.twitter.com/vs19vtCHiW
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) August 30, 2020
His tweet was accompanied by a photo of what appears to be law enforcement officers standing in front of a burning building, as well as a link to a newsletter he wrote for CNN, titled, “’Protests’ or ‘riots?’ It makes a BIG difference.”
Cillizza argued in the piece that “Trump, sensing that the race is slipping from him, has latched on to the events following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha earlier this month as a sign not of peaceful protests but of radical leftists rioting and destroying cities.”
He added that the “president’s planned trip to Kenosha on Tuesday will give him a huge platform to make that case.”
Conservatives on Twitter took issue with his piece and tweet, including Mark Levin, who said it’s just more of CNN’s “months’ long propaganda campaign.”
“CNN continues its months’ long propaganda campaign to downplay the violent riots, looting, and arson in our cities, but I predict will soon join the Democrat demagogues in their new tactic to blame the President,” Levin said.
CNN continues its months’ long propaganda campaign to downplay the violent riots, looting, and arson in our cities, but I predict will soon join the Democrat demagogues in their new tactic to blame the President.https://t.co/XIB2KAD13I
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) August 31, 2020
“Why CNN stands for ‘Clown News Network’: CNN’s Chris Cillizza criticized President Trump for using the term ‘riots; to refer to the riots. Couldn’t he at least add that they were ‘mostly peaceful’ riots? How do they do this stuff w/ a straight face?” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tweeted.
Why CNN stands for “Clown News Network”: CNN’s Chris Cillizza criticized President Trump for using the term “riots” to refer to the riots. Couldn’t he at least add that they were “mostly peaceful” riots? How do they do this stuff w/ a straight face?
https://t.co/Byhk3QU2Uo— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 31, 2020
“CNN’s Chris Cillizza criticized President Trump for referring to ‘riots’ despite a picture of a building engulfed in flames. Lawyers often parse terms in ways that deny their obvious meaning but this effort would make a Philadelphia lawyer blush,” legal scholar Johnathan Turley wrote.
CNN’s Chris Cillizza criticized President Trump for referring to “riots” despite a picture of a building engulfed in flames. Lawyers often parse terms in ways that deny their obvious meaning but this effort would make a Philadelphia lawyer blush.https://t.co/kAahz2XATp
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) August 31, 2020
Police have repeatedly declared official riots in cities this summer, most notably in Portland. The Oregon city most recently saw a police-declared riot on Saturday night when people torched a police union building.
Cillizza’s tweet and piece come after CNN was criticized earlier this month for a chyron that read, “Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting” as a reporter on the ground stood in front of several burning buildings in Kenosha.
