President Donald Trump took to social media Thursday night to attack “fake news,” this time with a clip that shows how video editing can forever misshape what actually happened.
The clip begins with what seems to be two toddlers — one black, one white — running away from each other. A lower headline for the clip shows a CNN logo with the words “BREAKING NEWS. Terrified todler (sic) runs from racist baby.” That headline later changes to read, “Racist baby probably a Trump voter.”
The black toddler is seen being chased by the white child.
The clip then transitions to a headline that reads, “WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.” The clip then shows the two delighted lifelong “besties” running toward each other, followed by a joyful embrace.
The clip then fades to black, with the words, “America is not the problem. Fake news is. If you see something, say something. Only you can prevent fake news dumpster fires.”
Twitter labeled the post as “Manipulated Media.”
The story of the two children first appeared on CNN, when the two toddlers saw each other on the streets of New York. A Facebook video taken by one of their dads went viral on social media.
The video stars 26-month-old Maxwell and 27-month-old Finnegan, who have been friends for at least a year.
“They just took off toward each other, and I just got my phone out as quickly as possible, and just tried to record it,” Maxwell’s dad, Michael Cisneros, told CNN affiliate WPIX. “They are just too cute together.”
“The reason that it’s getting attention [is] because it is with a little black boy and a little white boy...But if it can change someone’s mind, you know, or just change their view on things, then it’s totally worth it,” he said.
Reaction to Trump’s latest broadside against the media was mixed.
Trump is facing presumptive Democratic White House nominee Joe Biden in a reelection bid this fall.
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