Donald Trump Torches CNN’s Chris Cuomo After Anchor’s Profanity-Laced Rant Goes Viral
CNN’s Chris Cuomo got a taste of the viral video life after footage of a confrontation involving his profanity-laced response to a random stranger who called him “Fredo” — which the cable news anchor took as an insult — shot across the internet on Monday night.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Cuomo, who was out with his family on Sunday night when the incident happened, explained to the stranger in no uncertain terms that calling an Italian “Fredo” is the equivalent to using “the N-word.”
“No, punk-ass b****es from the right call me ‘Fredo.’ My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN,” a visibly angry Cuomo responded. “‘Fredo’ was from ‘The Godfather.’ He was a weak brother and they use that as an Italian slur — are any of you Italian?… It’s a f***ing insult to your people. It’s an insult to your f***in’ people. It’s like the N-word for us. Is that a cool f***ing thing?”
President Donald Trump jumped in the fray after the incident went viral, piling on with a series of tweets and a Facebook post disparaging Cuomo, including an insult relating to current gun control legislation proposal known as “Red Flag laws,” which would give law enforcement the ability to confiscate firearms from mentally unstable gun owners.
Would Chris Cuomo be given a Red Flag for his recent rant? Filthy language and a total loss of control. He shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon. He’s nuts!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019
In a Tuesday morning Facebook post, Trump posted a doctored clip of the scene from “Godfather II” in which Fredo has an outburst and demands respect from younger brother Michael Corleone. The video was altered to include an image of Cuomo’s face superimposed onto Fredo’s and Trump’s face on Michael’s.
Trump captioned the video, “Fake news Fredo!”
https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/videos/419940911976723/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDJ2Nf3Wj1VGrlfj1n3G5wNT3st9jFkEAtA_wHqpqUyCyZe7HzgR0q0-_43YpXqUiMmcuQeS3DjjDHVuJl9QNTZT8AMhzODlsa4xsa5jMpYqAqzNlHDVccMrVcpY6eTCjceGT1CywRpEzTy87uYTiIpXBMmwry-MsGh_5xVIsXpOK5zHaMvlgXEIsHMDpqJMuGBmEX9NVPj_YTGl3naFeXClr7ZkjovfkZi5IPugMO2H5zR2xyHKvK47B9UNhiQcstmStKR-DdVY-1VpJkbMm9PD27jSwKTXXxXIbqBrCopmYaUZlfzrZdQd8kv_dZIfilQndOumebsHPe4pAQdoyo3CB77lQ&__tn__=-R
Donald Trump Jr. also responded to the viral incident, calling Cuomo out in a Monday night tweet saying that “Fredo” isn’t the “N-word,” rather, it just means he’s the “dumb brother.”
Cuomo is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s younger brother.
CNN defended Cuomo in the wake of the incident and said they stand behind the anchor, according to Daily Wire.
Trump Jr. then called out CNN after they defended Cuomo, pointing out the time CNN contributor Ana Navarro referred to Trump Jr. as “Fredo.”
Does CNN’s head of PR still think “Fredo” is an ethnic slur after watching this? Because if it’s the N word for Italians like @ChrisCuomo says, I don’t understand why Chris seems so at ease with someone saying it here. An excuse just as fake as his news. #FredoCuomo https://t.co/8G8yuY80CK pic.twitter.com/1gwVyDVCob
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 13, 2019
While Cuomo received heaps of support on Twitter from his employer and many fans, others were quick to point out several times in the past in which both hosts and guests on CNN have used the word “Fredo.” One of those times was reportedly when CNN’s Jake Tapper depicted Trump Jr. as Fredo in a political cartoon segment in December, according to Fox News.
Another instance reportedly occurred when a CNN guest referred to Rep. Devin Nunes as the “Fredo of the Republican Party.”
Cuomo once compared the term “fake news” to using “the N-Word,” but later backtracked and apologized, explaining in a statement that the term “fake news” doesn’t compare to the pain of being called an actual racial slur.
