The president has already bullied numerous targets in the 24 hours since Melania Trump said social media can be ‘destructive’

On Monday morning, Melania Trump rejoined her signature “Be Best” campaign against cyberbullying at the Federal Partners on Bullying Prevention summit in Maryland.

The first lady said in prepared remarks that social media is an integral part of children’s daily lives and has a number of positive uses, “but can also be destructive and harmful when used incorrectly”.

Melania decries 'destructive' social media amid Trump Twitter attacks Read more

“‘Be Best’ chooses to focus on the importance of teaching our next generation how to conduct themselves safely and in a positive manner in an online setting,” she said.

It was a message that many children would indeed do well to hear, not to mention the child-like adults among us. But it’s one she might have better directed at her husband, who spent the morning during the event, and the subsequent 24 hours, on a voluminous tirade of spite and invective, even by the president’s already prolific standards of cyberbullying.

Donald Trump’s targets since Monday’s speech read like a retread of his Greatest Bullying Hits – Robert Mueller and his “witch-hunt”, “fake news”, even his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions – with a few new twists thrown in to keep people guessing.

Chief among his targets on Monday to Tuesday was John Brennan, “the worst CIA director in our country’s history” and a “political hack”, whose security clearance the president recently revoked in an apparent act of political retribution.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Everybody wants to keep their Security Clearance, it’s worth great prestige and big dollars, even board seats, and that is why certain people are coming forward to protect Brennan. It certainly isn’t because of the good job he did! He is a political “hack.”

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Even James Clapper has admonished John Brennan for having gone totally off the rails. Maybe Clapper is being nice to me so he doesn’t lose his Security Clearance for lying to Congress!

Elsewhere Bruce Ohr, former associate deputy attorney general and regular punching bag of Trump’s owing to his tenuous connections to the Steele dossier, came into the crosshairs, with a cutting aside to Jeff Sessions and his “‘Justice’ Department”.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Will Bruce Ohr, whose family received big money for helping to create the phony, dirty and discredited Dossier, ever be fired from the Jeff Sessions “Justice” Department? A total joke!

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) “Bruce Ohr is at the center of FALSE ALLEGATIONS which led to a multi-million dollar investigation into what apparently didn’t happen.” Darrell Issa, House Oversight. We can take out the word “apparently.” @FoxNews

Trump has weirdly had a long grievance with the US postal service, who he dinged here for contributing to the supply of fentanyl coming into the country. China also took a hit on the chin for this one. (No mention of the homemade poison/prescription opioids killing Americans, though.)



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) It is outrageous that Poisonous Synthetic Heroin Fentanyl comes pouring into the U.S. Postal System from China. We can, and must, END THIS NOW! The Senate should pass the STOP ACT – and firmly STOP this poison from killing our children and destroying our country. No more delay!

Next up, step forward former CIA analyst Philip Mudd, who has been on TV criticizing Trump’s politicization of the security clearance issue so he’s naturally in line for a tongue lashing.



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Just watched former Intelligence Official Phillip Mudd become totally unglued and weird while debating wonderful @PARISDENNARD over Brennan’s Security Clearance. Dennard destroyed him but Mudd is in no mental condition to have such a Clearance. Should be REVOKED? @seanhannity

Then Trump took issue with reporting in the New Yorker, not a regular target on his laundry list of “fake news” publications, and given the length and depth of pieces in that publication it’s very unlikely to be high on his “reading” list.



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Fake News, of which there is soooo much (this time the very tired New Yorker) falsely reported that I was going to take the extraordinary step of denying Intelligence Briefings to President Obama. Never discussed or thought of!

Other Trump hits were more predictable and familiar – including Democrats and “open borders”.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) A Blue Wave means Crime and Open Borders. A Red Wave means Safety and Strength!

And then there was the old favorite, Robert Mueller and “angry Democrat thugs”.



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel, only with my approval, for purposes of transparency. Anybody needing that much time when they know there is no Russian Collusion is just someone....

And not forgetting Hillary Clinton’s “deleted emails” …



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) ....looking for trouble. They are enjoying ruining people’s lives and REFUSE to look at the real corruption on the Democrat side - the lies, the firings, the deleted Emails and soooo much more! Mueller’s Angry Dems are looking to impact the election. They are a National Disgrace!

... and the the rigged witch-hunt. It’s not entirely clear how these fit with Melania Trump’s speech about people conducting “themselves safely and in a positive manner in an online setting”.



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Where’s the Collusion? They made up a phony crime called Collusion, and when there was no Collusion they say there was Obstruction (of a phony crime that never existed). If you FIGHT BACK or say anything bad about the Rigged Witch Hunt, they scream Obstruction!

When asked about the irony of her remarks coming from someone married to the world’s pre-eminent cyberbully, the first lady’s spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, attempted to brush it aside in a tweet.



Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) Rather than dissecting her remarks, let’s focus on the countless children who struggle w bullying & online safety each day. https://t.co/5W9x8QnUcZ

“She is aware of the criticism but it will not deter her from doing what she feels is right,” Grisham later added in a statement to the media. “The president is proud of her commitment to children and encourages her in all that she does.”

