President Donald Trump despatched social media into disbelief Monday morning after firing off a streak of frantic posts so chaotic that he unknowingly amplified content material trashing him — a slip critics mentioned revealed simply how scrambled his morning actually was.
And inside hours, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was in entrance of reporters almost out of breath doing harm management in the one approach she is aware of how, to double down on Trump’s speaking factors and ignore his gaffes.
The embarrassing repost dropped proper in the midst of Trump’s newest meltdown over six Democratic lawmakers who launched a video criticizing his management, sending the president into an hours-long frenzy attacking them and Senator Mark Kelly specifically, as “traitors.”
Trump accused the group of “sedition” and “treason,” reposted one other consumer’s name to “hold them,” and claimed their actions have been “punishable by dying,” drawing bipartisan rebuke.
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However in amplifying screenshots of Kelly from the video, Trump additionally grabbed a picture straight from the anti-Trump account, which routinely advocates a “blue wave in ’26,” circulates professional–Gavin Newsom memes, and shares photographs of burning MAGA hats.
The screenshot featured Kelly saying, “You may refuse unlawful orders.” In context, it elevated the very message Trump sought to sentence, whereas additionally showcasing the account’s demand to question him.
“Uh oh. Trump by chance boosted anti-Trump account ‘Impeach Trump a third Time!” the left-wing account Patriot Takes wrote on X. “Grandpa has hassle studying,” one consumer replied.
One other added, “His thoughts is toast!” and one other wrote “Trump actually has mind harm. Can’t anybody see this”
Trump’s feud with the lawmakers intensified Monday as Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced that the Pentagon was formally investigating Kelly and weighing whether or not to recall the retired Navy captain to lively responsibility for potential court-martial proceedings.
The Protection Division mentioned it had acquired “critical allegations of misconduct in opposition to Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.)” and {that a} “thorough assessment of those allegations has been initiated to find out additional actions, which can embody recall to lively responsibility for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”
As a result of Kelly served greater than 20 years on lively responsibility and retired on the rank of captain, he stays topic to the Uniform Code of Navy Justice. The opposite lawmakers — Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy — can’t be recalled.
Hours later, Leavitt was confronted with the duty of defending Trump’s rage.
Requested whether or not the specter of motion by the Protection Division was getting used to intimidate Kelly, Leavitt mentioned earlier than taking a deep breath, “The White Home is supportive of the Division of Struggle’s investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly, and I feel what Sen. Mark Kelly was truly attempting to do was intimidate the 1.3 million lively responsibility service members who’re at present serving in our United States armed forces with that video that he and his Democrat colleagues put out.”
She added: “You may’t have a functioning navy if there may be dysfunction and chaos throughout the ranks, and that’s what these Democrat members have been encouraging, it’s very clear.”
Nevertheless, many social media customers argued that Kelly’s feedback fell squarely inside his rights and accused Leavitt of bending his phrases to match Trump’s storyline.
“What????? They ALWAYS flip their response round into an apparent lie,” one critic wrote on Threads.
One other noticed, “She takes deep breaths like she’s about to run a marathon… This job is attending to her she must associate with all of admin!” One other famous, “Earlier than she spoke she actually needed to go inward and put up a protection.”
Regardless of the outrage in MAGA circles, quite a few voices defended Kelly.
“He was being a pacesetter, one other particular person wrote. “Different individuals have mentioned the identical factor as a result of it’s correct … The data is posted on the entrance of West Level. That is completely with out advantage and retaliatory.”
Throughout an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Kelly mentioned he wouldn’t be silenced.
“I mentioned one thing that was fairly easy and non-controversial, and that was that members of the navy ought to observe the regulation. And in response to that, Donald Trump mentioned I ought to be executed, I ought to be hanged, I ought to be prosecuted … I feel it says much more about him than it says about me. I’m not going to be silenced.”
Kelly mentioned on one other event that he realized of the investigation from Hegseth’s public feedback. “Secretary Hegseth’s tweet is the primary I heard of this. I additionally noticed the President’s posts saying I ought to be arrested, hanged, and put to dying,” he mentioned.
In a separate assertion, he added, “If that is meant to intimidate me and different members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it gained’t work. I’ve given an excessive amount of to this nation to be silenced by bullies who care extra about their very own energy than defending the Structure.”
