Keep Your Chin Up: Friedman Hits Back At Trump After He Insults His Appearance

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 26: Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist and bestselling author Thomas L. Friedman attends The Boys' Club of New York Ninth Annual Winter Luncheon at 583 Park Avenue on February 26... NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 26: Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist and bestselling author Thomas L. Friedman attends The Boys' Club of New York Ninth Annual Winter Luncheon at 583 Park Avenue on February 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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It was a typical Twitter morning Friday for President Trump: He boosted a book on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and went after the media for its coverage of his silence during the “send her back” chants at his reelection rally.

But then Trump directed his ire toward an unexpected target — New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, whom the President nicknamed “the chin,” perhaps a reference to Friedman’s author photo.

Trump took issue with Friedman’s polite tone while speaking to the President on the phone recently, and the fact that Friedman went on to call the President a “racist,” among other things, in his column.

Friedman responded in kind later Friday morning, noting that he “was asked to speak to you by your Senator friend, who said you were upset at the criticism you were getting from the Wall Street Journal and some other conservatives for not bombing Iran in retaliation for Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone.”

Politico’s Jake Sherman reported that the “senator friend” was none other than Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

In a Twitter thread, Friedman said Trump “basically talked for four minutes” and they each went on their separate ways. He concluded:

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Notable Replies

  1. Harrumphing entitled ego meets butt-hurt entitled ego.

    Popcorn.

  2. TrUmp wouldn’t lEt Friedman On the Apprentice so He’S seveRly conflicted over our Favorite president, TrumP. FriedMan always caLLs Trump to give Him advice on EConomiCs for his fake news Articles in the failinG NYT. TrUmp always caUtions on Quantitative unstrangling which is ignored at America’s peril.

  3. I know he has a following (of sorts), but to me, Friedman reached his sell by date a long time ago.

  4. So…Friedman didn’t exactly ‘hit back’. He clarified the phone call and politely answered the President. He didn’t call him names or lob insults. He did it with class.

  5. Trump is mocking Friedman for playing too much golf?!?!

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