On Tuesday evening, former President Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social and launched an assault on his former press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany. He leveled accusations against her, claiming that she distorted poll figures during her appearance on Fox News.
“Kayleigh ‘Milktoast’ [sic] McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on Fox News. I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up. While 25 is great, it’s not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll,” Trump wrote.“The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!”
Trump decided to attack McEnany, who is now a co-host of Fox News’ Outnumbered, where she reported on polling data from Iowa indicating that Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is “closing the gap” with Donald Trump since officially announcing his candidacy last week.
Trump’s use of “milktoast” is an apparent misspelling of the term “milquetoast,” which refers to a timid or weak person. How exactly can Trump justify using such a term to describe McEnany, given how she effectively and aggressively handled the media during her time as White House Press Secretary?
Related: Trump Accuses DeSantis of Plagiarism. There’s Just One Problem…
Many on the right slammed Trump for attacking McEnany.
“Zero excuses for this kind of behavior,” tweeted former congresswoman Nan Hayworth. “President Trump is capable of better. Kayleigh McEnany served in impeccable faith under the most difficult of circumstances. She’s the best of America in myriad ways. She deserves complete respect.”
“Praising Andrew Cuomo Insulting Kayleigh McEnany … what happened to Trump?” asked DeSantis Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw.
“Kayleigh is the kindest person and was the best press secretary to ever step foot in the White House,” tweeted user Kambree. “There is ZERO excuse for degrading or belittling her to this degree over a few points. I am upset, and at a loss for words. This erratic behavior is concerning.”
Trump’s 2016 campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson tweeted, “I stand with @kayleighmcenany.”
“He’s completely unhinged,” Marc Thiessen observed before pointing out McEnany “was one of the best people to serve in his administration.”
“He’s losing control, lashing out at anyone and everyone who does not tow [sic] his line. Sad,” Thiessen added.
Indeed, Trump’s attack on McEnany is unacceptable. She demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the former president, even enduring personal attacks on his behalf. And for what reason did he turn on her — reporting on a poll? Trump has attacked many people who served him loyally, but it’s still hard to believe that McEnany is now on that list.
President Trump did great things for this country, but his attack on McEnany — and frankly, most of his attacks on people who chose to serve in administration — have been unhinged and childish. I suspect they will drive more people away from supporting him in 2024.
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