The New York Times is reporting tonight on a violent meme video that was show during an event hosted by the pro-Trump group American Priority at the president’s Doral resort in Miami.
Yashar Ali breaks down what’s on the video:
1. NEW: A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing & brutally assaulting members of the news media & his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort @maggieNYT @nytmike scoop https://t.co/PdXLkcSYLO
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 14, 2019
2. "He strikes the late Arizona senator John McCain in the back of the neck. He hits the television personality Rosie O’Donnell in the face and then stabs her in the head. He strikes Rep Maxine Waters. He lights the head of Senator Bernie Sanders on fire"https://t.co/PdXLkcSYLO
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 14, 2019
3. "He takes Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, hostage before throwing him to the ground. Then he strikes former President Barack Obama in the back and throws him against a wall." https://t.co/PdXLkcSYLO
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 14, 2019
4. "The clip ends with Mr. Trump putting a stake into the head of a person with a CNN logo for a face. Mr. Trump then stands on the altar, admiring his rampage, and smiles." https://t.co/PdXLkcSYLO
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 14, 2019
The video is the infamous scene from the film, “Kingsman” where the main characters is involved in a shootout inside a church, but the president’s face is on the agent while media properties, etc., are photoshopped on the targets:
5. As much as I hate to post this, given how much people are talking about this story, and that it involves the president's club, his supporters, and an organization that supports him, here's the video in question: pic.twitter.com/qqtllitsIP
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 14, 2019
But people started questioning the NYT report. Robby Soave from Reason:
Two questions about this not great piece: 1) The Times says they obtained the video. Why not publish it alongside the article and let us decide for ourselves? 2) Who showed it? Doesn't sound like it was the organizers. https://t.co/xvldRYgciJ
— Robby Soave (@robbysoave) October 14, 2019
Reason’s CJ Ciaramella was at the event and is adding some context to what and where it was shown. According to Ciaramella, the video was shown in an a “meme art exhibit”:
I was there. There was a room at the conference showing videos by that “carpe donktum” guy. A meme art exhibit I guess. It was empty when I went in. I didn’t see that specific video.
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
Did anyone at the conference actually see the video?
I guess I missed this video in the “art exhibit” of memes at the pro-Trump conference this weekend. tbf I only stayed in the room a little bit because it was empty and weird. https://t.co/HjSkY2edIO
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
Here’s what the room looked like:
Here’s the room that video played in, for context https://t.co/bkm5ge3Xio
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
To be very specific, it was in a side room at the Donald J. Trump ballroom at the Trump National Doral Miami.
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
And if you go back and watch the video, you can see the Kingsman meme on the little screen in the back:
Ah, you actually can see the Kingsman 2 video playing on the TV screen in the right corner towards the end of that clip, if you look carefully @maggieNYT
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
According to Ciaramella, the videos just played in that room on a loop:
No one! Just TVs and projectors on loop
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
Just for the record:
As member of the media, I do find memes about murdering the media to be in very poor taste. The president’s resort is probably not a great venue for those, no.
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
In no way whatsoever does that make it okay.
— Rob Waldeck (@Robertwaldeck) October 14, 2019
Not saying it was. The NYT didn’t have some of the details, so just filling that in.
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) October 14, 2019
And here’s the source material:
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