CNN reporter Jake Tapper blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday after the President retweeted a baseless conspiracy theory about accused child molester Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide.
Tapper kicked off his morning program, “State of the Union,” with a contemptuous speech on Trump’s penchant for boosting conspiracy theories, including his retweet on Saturday night that linked Epstein’s death to Bill Clinton.
“We begin this morning with a retweet from the President of the United States,” Tapper said. “Not a message about healing or uniting the country, one week after two horrifying massacres, not about the victims of those tragedies.”
“Instead, President Trump, using his massive Twitter platform, 63 million followers, to spread a deranged conspiracy theory tying the death of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in prison to the President’s former political rivals, the Clintons,” he continued.
After listing off various other unfounded conspiracy theories Trump has floated in the past, including birtherism and billionaire George Soros funding an immigrant invasion at the border, Tapper hit Trump for misusing his powerful influence as the country’s leader.
“President Trump could use his megaphone for anything,” the reporter said. “But the President often uses it to amplify that which is the worst of us: personal attacks, bigotry, and insane conspiracy theories.”
Tapper wrapped it up with one final declaration: “This is no longer just irresponsibility and indecent. It is dangerous.”
Watch the CNN host below:
Jake Tapper rips Trump for spreading a "deranged" conspiracy theory pic.twitter.com/Ic89Nr8mGG
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 11, 2019
