Pres. Trump’s latest weekend tweetspree focused on a pair of new celebrity targets: singer John Legend and wife/TV host Chrissy Teigen. The president spent Sunday night (Sept. 8) railing against Legend after the EGOT winner and social justice advocate appeared on an NBC Nightly News special hosted by Lester Holt in which Legend discussed the country’s troubled criminal justice system.
Trump appeared angry that he was not given enough credit for his administration’s efforts at prison reform (known as the First Step Act), which inspired a string of angry tweets in which he belittled the couple with insulting nicknames. “When all of the people pushing so hard for Criminal Justice Reform were unable to come even close to getting it done, they came to me as a group and asked for my help. I got it done with a group of Senators & others who would never have gone for it. Obama couldn’t come close,” Trump wrote, going on to complain that “people that had virtually nothing to do with it are taking the praise.”
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….A man named @VanJones68, and many others, were profusely grateful (at that time!). I SIGNED IT INTO LAW, no one else did, & Republicans deserve much credit. But now that it is passed, people that had virtually nothing to do with it are taking the praise. Guys like boring…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019
That led to Trump dubbing Legend “boring” and referring to Teigen not by name, but as “his filthy mouthed wife,” which set off the couple, who are both active social media posters and outspoken critics of the president.
…..the importance or passage of Criminal Justice Reform. They only talk about the minor players, or people that had nothing to do with it…And the people that so desperately sought my help when everyone else had failed, all they talk about now is Impeaching President Trump!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019
Legend, who used his appearance on Holt’s special to encourage viewers to get involved with his Free America criminal justice campaign — launched in 2014, two years before Trump’s election — soon joined his wife in responding to the president’s provocation with a NSFW hashtag. “Luna, remember the night before your first day of school?” Teigen wrote alongside a picture of her making a sign for the couple’s daughter. “When mommy was making your sign and the pussy ass bitch president had his 9th meltdown of the day.”
Luna, remember the night before your first day of school? When mommy was making your sign and the pussy ass bitch president had his 9th meltdown of the day pic.twitter.com/ZFZHJYrDPG
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 9, 2019
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Teigen’s freestyle insult quickly became a hashtaggable shorthand that the couple embraced and tried to turn into a trending topic as they trolled the president for the rest of the evening.
the absolute best part of his tweet is I literally didn’t speak in the special, nor was I mentioned. I’m cackling at the pointless addition of me because he cannot not be a bitch pic.twitter.com/9ZkV7bh4FA
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 9, 2019
no guys no please do not make this trend, for it is my fight with #PresidentPussyAssBitch, not yours!!!!!! https://t.co/hSJ0UxjbaO
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 9, 2019
Imagine being president of a whole country and spending your Sunday night hate-watching MSNBC hoping somebody–ANYBODY–will praise you. Melania, please praise this man. He needs you.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 9, 2019
Your country needs you, Melania
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 9, 2019
Ah yes, Melania is otherwise occupied. My apologies, @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/aNWgNsS34a
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 9, 2019
Please don’t make this foul mouthed hashtag trend #PresidentPussyAssBitch https://t.co/TMaq58hzIx
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 9, 2019
.@twitter won’t let Twitter be great. I understand. #PresidentPussyAssBitch is vile and absolutely should not trend.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 9, 2019
Me sitting in the conference room at @Twitter as they decide whether #PresidentPussyAssBitch violates their T&C pic.twitter.com/4gydOg7t4E
— April (@ReignOfApril) September 9, 2019
The internet quickly picked sides as well, with a number of commenters taking the president to task over his latest social media battle with the couple who have referred to Trump as a “flaming racist” (Legend) and a “fucking monster.”
On a night where our country is turning away hurricane survivors, the President is attacking @chrissyteigen. https://t.co/ygNYAsOxNt
— Dave Hogg (@stareagle) September 9, 2019
Worth noting the woman mentioned, @chrissyteigen, doesn’t have a name…is just “a filthy mouthed wife,” and he husband is John Legend the musician. https://t.co/x9PivM8qdx
— Yashar Ali — (@yashar) September 9, 2019
You’re really making your wife’s antibullying campaign a fun one, huh? https://t.co/4TEdmLo1Y7
— A???? P????? (@AaronFlux) September 9, 2019
Can’t help but notice that the four people Trump attacked in the wee hours – John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Van Jones, and Lester Holt – all have at least one thing in common… pic.twitter.com/pzGa7zKeRj
— Rus McLaughlin (@rusmclaughlin) September 9, 2019
One thing is very clear this morning:
If any of us had to choose between having a relationship like Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s or a relationship like Melania and Donald Trump’s, not a single person would choose to be a pussy ass bitch.#PresidentPussyAssBitch
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) September 9, 2019
I’m #BlockedByTrump, what did that pussy ass bitch do now? Is he using yet another woman of color as a distraction from some huge terrible thing he doesn’t want people talking about? Because that’s what kind of a pussy ass bitch he is #TrumpIsAPussyAssBitch https://t.co/gZ66NyfzTl
— Tara Dublin Needs An Agent (@taradublinrocks) September 9, 2019