Just hours after Donald Trump’s new campaign manager said that he doesn’t “hurl personal insults” at people, the Republican presidential candidate took to Twitter to insult media personalities and his Democratic presidential rival.
In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway defended the candidate’s harsh words against people like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a judge of Mexican descent, and a Gold Star family whose son was killed in Afghanistan.
“He doesn’t hurl personal insults. In other words, he just this week, look what he talked about,” Conway said, adding that “he’s said that he regrets causing personal pain to those who feel it based on things that he has said.”
Just a few hours after Conway’s comments, however, Trump took to Twitter to call television personality Donny Deutsch a “big failure.” And on Monday morning, Trump implied that MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were having a relationship, calling Brzezinski “neurotic” and unintelligent, and referred to former Rep. Anthony Weiner as a “pervert sleaze.”
I heard that @Morning_Joe was very nice on Friday but that little Donny D, a big failure in TV (& someone I helped), was nasty. Irrelevant!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2016
Tried watching low-rated @Morning_Joe this morning, unwatchable! @morningmika is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2016
Some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2016
Media commentators pointed out the discrepancy between Trump’s words and Conway’s defense almost immediately.
AM: Conway says Trump "doesn't hurl personal insults."
PM: Trump calls Donny Deutsch "little" & a "big failure." https://t.co/2PyHV4BZNg
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 22, 2016
The difference between Sunday mornings and Monday mornings pic.twitter.com/Huuu1Gc6Qf
— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) August 22, 2016
Trump, who doesn't hurl personal insults, calls Anthony Weiner a "pervert sleaze" on @foxandfriends . pic.twitter.com/8wwGiD1Bpa
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 22, 2016
In fact, Trump’s campaign has come to be defined by the insults he hurls. The candidate launched his campaign last year by making a sweeping generalization about undocumented immigrants, labeling Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists, and has continued to lob personal attacks and offensive stereotypes since then. The New York Times tracked more than 250 people, places, and things that have become the subject of Trump’s wrath on Twitter.
There’s some evidence that Trump’s rhetoric is having big consequences for the way people treat each other. His campaign has inspired supporters to hit, grab, spit on, kick, and hurt immigrant supporters and Latinos across the country. And it’s led to an uptick of bullying Muslim and Latino students in school.
Update:
Conway defended Trump’s comments in a Fox Business interview on Monday, saying, “Look, he has a right to defend himself.”
Conway, asked about Trump's Morning Joe tweets this morning: "Look, he has a right to defend himself." pic.twitter.com/iH2w4PowmK
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 22, 2016