Trump press secretary uses Fox News to smear all Muslims as terrorists

Defending Trump's retweet, Stephanie Grisham said that Trump intended to show Democrats support terrorism. Fox anchor Harris Faulkner said only that some people are concerned.

Written by Jason Campbell

Published

On Monday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted a barrage of incendiary tweets disparaging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. One of these tweets depicted Pelosi and Schumer dressed in traditional Muslim garb and claimed the two were coming “to the Ayatollah’s rescue.”

Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who has appeared in right-wing media nearly exclusively since assuming her position in July, went on Fox News’ Outnumbered Overtime to defend Trump. When asked about it, Grisham said the photoshopped image was used to make the point that Pelosi and Schumer were “almost taking the side of terrorists.”

From the January 13, 2020, edition of Fox News' Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner

HARRIS FAULKNER (FOX NEWS ANCHOR): The president is facing criticism after retweeting an image of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi doctored to show them in Muslim garb, captioned "The corrupted Dems trying their best to come to the Ayatollah's rescue."

One Twitter reaction read this way, Stephanie: "Why the actual hell is the president of the United States using the way I and millions of other Americans dress and the religious beliefs that We hold as a slur. This absolutely must be condemned by congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle."

Why would the president take even the time to retweet something like this?

STEPHANIE GRISHAM (WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY): 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.

FAULKNER: You know it's interesting. His tweet in Farsi over the weekend, the Washington Times reported, was the leading Persian tweet in all of Twitter's history. So followed by this retweet you can understand why people are concerned.

GRISHAM: Well certainly, but the president has made so clear that he is with the Iranian people.

There was immediate backlash to Grisham's remarks.