President Donald Trump posted a couple of altered videos on Thursday night defending himself from accusations of racism several hours ahead of Juneteenth.
In the first video, a black toddler is seen running away from a white toddler with a fake CNN chyron that declaring “Terrified Toddler Runs From Racist Baby,” which then switches to “Racist Baby Probably A Trump Voter.”
The video then shows “What actually happened” with a longer clip of the toddlers showing them running toward each other and hugging before they begin playfully chasing each other.
“America is not the problem,” the text at the end of the video reads. “Fake news is.”
CNN’s communications Twitter account blasted Trump in response, informing him with a link to their article that the network did cover the story “exactly as it happened”– “just as we reported your positions on race (and poll numbers).”
“We’ll continue working with facts rather than tweeting fake videos that exploit innocent children,” the account tweeted. “We invite you to do the same. Be better.”
Twitter added a label warning users the video is “manipulated media,” marking the second time the social media platform has had to flag a Trump tweet for violating its rules of conduct (last time it was over Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” tweet for “glorifying violence”).
White House spokesperson Judd Deere hit back at Twitter in an emailed statement.
“If Twitter is not careful, it’s going to have to label itself a ‘manipulator,’” Deere said.
In the second cloying video (which appears to be entirely fictional), a woman is seen watching NBC News’ coverage of the Covington student incident before she goes outside and films a white man in a MAGA hat chasing after a black Uber driver. Her video goes viral and viewers accuse Trump of stoking racism. CNN reporter Jim Acosta appears in the video at one point with a fake chyron that read “Trump’s Fault? White Man In MAGA Hat Attacks Black Uber Driver.”
Similar to the first video, the rest of the second video claims to show the full interaction between the two men, in which the Trump supporter helps the driver get his car unstuck from the snow.
