President Donald Trump fumed on Twitter Monday about a variety of subjects ranging from impeachment to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
Among the standouts was a retweet from Twitter user @D0wn_Under, which featured a photoshopped picture of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a turban and a hijab in front of an Iranian flag.
The tweet read: "The corrupted Dems trying their best to come to the Ayatollah's rescue. #NancyPelosiFakeNews."
The corrupted Dems trying their best to come to the Ayatollah's rescue. #NancyPelosiFakeNews https://t.co/a0ksPHeXCy— داون آندر (@داون آندر) 1578910998.0
Trump was sharply criticized for the retweet.
Soon, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who has never held a daily White House press briefing, appeared on Fox News to defend the President.
Watch below.
Stephanie Grisham, on Trump retweeting Schumer and Pelosi in Muslim garb: He's making clear that the Democrats have… https://t.co/fkTHTOLI4g— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1578939542.0
Grisham said:
"I think the president is making clear that the Democrats are, have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking the side of terrorists and those who were out to kill the Americans. I think the president was making the point that the Democrats seem to hate him so much that they're willing to be on the side of countries and leadership of countries who want to kill Americans."
The terrorist Grisham refers to is top Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani, whom Trump killed with an air strike earlier this year, hugely escalating tensions with Iran. Democratic leadership hasn't praised or eulogized Soleimani in any form, but rather criticized the rashness of the action and the diplomatic consequences it reaped.
Grisham's painting of Democratic leadership as terrorist-loving traitors didn't do much to help Trump's case.
This is disgusting on so many levels that twitter doesn't allow me enough characters to go through them. Grisham c… https://t.co/xp5etnPTeI— Sam Vinograd (@Sam Vinograd) 1578946018.0
Utterly shameless and vile. https://t.co/SUXLLeRusp— George Conway (@George Conway) 1578946115.0
Maybe it’s a good thing that Stephanie Grisham has never provided a press briefing. https://t.co/Z7IedCgzbc— Jeffrey Guterman (@Jeffrey Guterman) 1578946375.0
Hey @RepRatcliffe you are ok with this Islamophobia and straight racism of Donald Trump? Are you ok with our presid… https://t.co/VYfQYpDzFn— Russell Foster for Congress (TX-04) (@Russell Foster for Congress (TX-04)) 1578940389.0
If you don’t want to get involved in another war, you “risk” being called a terrorist by POTUS. This truly is the u… https://t.co/VcvrHbXE6J— Nada Bakos (@Nada Bakos) 1578942480.0
Propagandist propagandizes propaganda https://t.co/jyeS6R3NFl— Molly Jong-Fast (@Molly Jong-Fast) 1578940572.0
The Trump administration is destructive to the nation. https://t.co/tHkc93lPpu— Main Street Muse (@Main Street Muse) 1578939572.0
This is UNACCEPTABLE. Remember the stakes at hand, everyone. https://t.co/40E8uYTVXn— Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈 (@Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈) 1578946330.0
Donald Trump has frequently railed against "endless wars" in the Middle East, but began associating Democrats with terrorists once they spoke out against actions that made war in the region more likely.