In the short time that Donald Trump has been in the Oval Office, he has inspired anger, protest, righteous indignation, headaches, and true exasperation. These emotions are felt everywhere: in the streets, in office buildings, in our homes, and, of course, in the media.
It's hard truly like a car crash; we just can’t look away as this president fumbles his way through the job with a nauseating ix of bullying, dystopian nightmare fuel, and general incompetence. Though it’s been less than 18 months, it feels like we've gone through multiple lifetimes just from his Twitter feed alone.
Although keeping up with the news can be traumatic, sometimes the most cathartic coping mechanism can be watching the media call out the garbage as its thrown. The place where we most often see this is CNN; along with simply reporting the news, CNN also jumps on every opportunity to burn the president (as they should).
Here we’ve compiled a list of some of the best and funniest (but also most maddening) moments in which CNN has had to slam Trump for his boorish, disrespectful, and inept behavior at various moments throughout the first year-plus of his presidency. CNN’s panels full of hosts, along with politicians, talking heads, and commentators have gone after him on the network, and often said the same things we find ourselves saying every time we read a new headline—albeit maybe with a little bit more tact.
It's hard to say that there is any fun to be had during this period in history, or that there may be a silver lining of some sort. But sometimes, in the face of something truly awful, you have to just be able to laugh at the ridiculous sham of it all. Right now, that’s all we have.
Here are CNN’s most brutal Donald Trump burns.
Erin Burnett Holds No Punches With The GOP
Jim Acosta Calls It How He Sees It
Trump’s “sh*thole country” remarks brought out the most fiery and passionate of defection from various people. While CNN and other media outlets have been rightfully criticized in the past for their hesitancy to call Trump’s bigotry by its name, these comments finally forced them to explicitly denounce Trump’s crass sentiments and their implications. On Anderson Cooper 360, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta remarked, with regard to Trump’s statements, "deep down, this president may just be a racist." He also referred back to many of Trump’s racist transgressions, such as his disrespect toward President Obama and his caricature of Mexican immigrants.
“Trump Has Turned Oval Office Into ‘A Sh*thole’"
"These numbers, sir, these numbers are disatrous."
Panel Slams Trump Rally
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Trump holds a rally in which he makes a bunch of proclamations about his own greatness, and how he’ll make America great by punishing the “evil doers” with an iron first. This time around, the evil doers in question are “drug dealers,” and his plans for them include the death penalty. In this recent CNN panel, the correspondents call out Trump for what they (reasonably) consider “authoritarianism.” Panelist John Avlon classifies it best when he compares Trump to P.T. Barnum—dangling dangerous ideas of unchecked power and punishment in front of a hungry crowd.
"Eroding" America's "sense of unity."
As Trump’s ongoing Russia investigation continues to sow the seed of doubt around the tenure of his office, he has launched into a full discrediting campaign against any person or media entity who dares not entertain his propaganda. CNN political analyst David Gergen made his viewpoint about this strategy known, noting that Trump's comments may succeed in keeping his base together, but that they are also "eroding" America's "sense of unity." This burn may not feel particularly witty or painful, but there’s no greater indictment than, “your actions are going to help kill democracy.” An incredibly savage burn.