President Donald Trump is waging his own war — or multiple — on Twitter and this time his adversary is potential Democratic nominee Michael Bloomberg. The pair sparred in two tweets on Feb. 13, with President Trump throwing the first insult. “Mini Mike is a 5’4” mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians,” Trump tweeted, referring to Bloomberg’s fellow nominee hopefuls. “No boxes please. He hates Crazy Bernie [Sanders] and will, with enough money, possibly stop him. Bernie’s people will go nuts,” he concluded. But, like any debate, Bloomberg was ready for a scathing retort.
Less than an hour after Trump’s initial tweet, Bloomberg took to his own Twitter account to quote tweet Trump’s words. “@realdonaldtrump – we know many of the same people in NY,” the former Mayor of New York City began. “Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence,” he blisteringly wrote, before offering a final warning. “I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will.” While Bloomberg’s response was impressive, it’s the result of his “carnival barking clown” quip that left a mark on the internet.
Soon after Bloomberg’s tweet, a slew of images of President Trump decked out in clown makeup began surfacing on the popular social media platform. A number of the images used professional photos of the president to add clown makeup, hat, and coat — one even included a fake red clown nose. Another showed Trump with an entirely painted white face, unruly hair, and large red clown lips with the signature nose.
.@realDonaldTrump – we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.
I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 13, 2020
But this latest Twitter tirade is nothing new for the 45th President of the United States. Trump has levied claims and insults at his critics time and again on the social media platform. He even went as far as to disparage 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. But, much like Bloomberg, Greta took the insult in stride and turned Trump’s words into her own Twitter bio: “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.” We’ll see who takes on Trump next in what will likely be another battle.