If there is anyone who has the receipts, it is Drew Holden. In his latest epic thread, he took readers on a bit of time travel back to the days when Trump killed Iranian General Soleimani. The press spiraled.
🧵Thread🧵
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
I’ve got an oldie-but-a-goodie for you from the archive of unhinged media coverage.
Do you remember how insane the coverage of Trump’s killing of Iranian Gen. Soleimani was?
I bet it’s worse than you remember. Follow along ⤵️
Oh boy, you know this is going to be good.
It all started with what I’ve gotta say might be the coldest presidential use of social media in history.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
After ordering the strike that killed Iranian General Qaseem Soleimani, Trump tweeted out simply a picture of an American flag.
Many in the media went berserk. pic.twitter.com/GUPz60HCpg
Trump is a master at social media and really should return to Twitter.
First, the issue was directly with what Trump had done. Outlets claimed that he was rushing America into a war. @washingtonpost tried to point out the hypocrisy of a president who had said he would prevent a war.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
All evidence suggests he did exactly that. pic.twitter.com/OcDWEimO5e
(This @washingtonpost article, describing the allegedly forthcoming draft, wasn’t much more reasonable) pic.twitter.com/IAh95oSvQQ
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
The liberal elitists really thought Trump was bringing back the draft.
Other outlets did much the same. One of my favorites was @CNN, who claimed Trump had gotten us into a “risky open conflict” with Iran.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
Do you guys remember that conflict? I seem to have forgotten. pic.twitter.com/tqbVISR9za
This might be the most ridiculous tweet I’ve ever seen. @timeforkids has a guide to talking to your child about the death of Soleimani.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
I promise you, this is real. pic.twitter.com/v1vSKSxpMB
If your young child knew anything about the killing of Soleimani, please be better parents.
Some claimed the U.S. was *already* at war with Iran.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
Did I miss that, @voxdotcom? What say you, @mehdirhasan? pic.twitter.com/Bo4YyejN30
Look I know we’ve got other things to worry about but is it odd to anyone else that a U.S. outlet that receives American taxpayer dollars was taking calls from the Iranian foreign minister? And then repeating his propaganda?@NPR pic.twitter.com/qKfNFhDFXj
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
This feels very problematic.
But where the coverage really went off the rails was about Soleimani himself.@nytimes ran a headline calling Soleimani a “master of…intrigue” and said that, “in Iran, many saw him as a larger-than-life hero.”
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
Hero. That was their word choice. pic.twitter.com/JYUsiW5NRr
Ahhh ... the effort to humanize a monster. How quaint!
The superlatives for Soleimani were bountiful. @Telegraph called him “charismatic.” @radiofreeEU called him a “maverick.”
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
Again, these are all choices. The headlines don’t have to say these things. pic.twitter.com/9yRBcK3SQM
I mean, if you overlook all the terror stuff, he's a great guy!
I’ve got nothing. Going back through this coverage might’ve broken me. Look at this @washingtonpost tweet.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 28, 2024
Just look. pic.twitter.com/jh4iqR2RM7
One last one! They even claimed Trump ordered the killing because of a 'meme' war he had with Soleimani. Trump really makes the mainstream media even more crazy. Go and read the whole Holden thread. There is so much more to see.