Trump Weighs In on Matt Lauer's Departure from NBC

Let’s rewind to November of a few years ago when the news broke that Matt Lauer, a longtime anchor of NBC's Today show, was fired amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, here’s the twist: President Donald Trump, who himself has faced sexual assault controversies, couldn’t resist chiming in on the matter. Right after NBC News announced Matt’s dismissal due to “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,” Trump fired off a tweet expressing his thoughts. But here’s the kicker—he didn’t stop at just commenting on Lauer's situation. He took it a step further by bringing up the network’s leadership and its coverage.

Trump's tweet read, “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC [and] Comcast be fired for putting out so much fake news? Check out Andy Lack’s past!” Now, keep in mind, this was a man who had ties to NBC when he hosted The Apprentice, so it wasn’t like he was coming at them from a completely neutral standpoint. Still, he didn’t elaborate on NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack’s history in that initial tweet, leaving everyone to speculate what exactly he was hinting at.

Trump Expands His Criticism Beyond Matt Lauer

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

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It wasn’t just Matt Lauer who felt the brunt of Trump’s Twitter storm. A couple of hours after his first tweet, Trump took aim at other high-profile media figures, including Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, and Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe. He questioned when NBC would terminate Phil Griffin, who he labeled a “fake news practitioner,” and even brought up Joe Scarborough’s past. In 2001, when Joe was a Florida congressman, a 28-year-old congressional aide tragically died in one of his offices. The medical examiner determined that the woman lost consciousness due to an abnormal heart rhythm and died from a head injury sustained in her fall. Trump suggested NBC should investigate this incident, adding fuel to the fire.

The Backlash Trump Faced

Trump’s tweets didn’t go over well with everyone. CNN anchor Jake Tapper was one of the many who criticized the President for his comments. Tapper tweeted, “This is the president attempting to exploit the tragic death of a young woman — one who had heart problems and hit her head when she fell — to score a cheap, spurious political point. Indecent. Inhumane.” Many Twitter users echoed similar sentiments, questioning the morality of Trump’s statements. One user asked, “You live in the White House or [in a] glass house?” while another remarked, “It must be a little scary for you, seeing people who are accused of sexual assault/harassment lose their jobs.”

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