AURORA | U.S Rep. Mike Coffman took to social media to condemn an early morning Twitter attack from President Donald Trump insulting a female morning news show host’s intelligence and looks.
Trump’s two tweets from early Thursday morning attacked the hosts of Morning Joe on MSNBC. He slammed the show’s cohost Mika Brzezinski, calling her “low I.Q.” and claiming she was “bleeding from a face lift” New Year’s Eve when Trump refused to meet with her and fellow co-host Joe Scarborough.
A few hours after Trump’s two tweets, Coffman, a Republican, joined a chorus of congressional representatives calling out the president. Coffman responded in the medium the President seems to enjoy most: Twitter. Coffman’s tweet read, “The President’s tweets are beneath the dignity of his office. It needs to stop. #StopTheTwitterTantrums.”
Reached after he sent his tweet, Coffman said he wanted to send Trump a message from his own party that there are certain things a president should and shouldn’t do.
“I think he’s certainly done a lot to undermine his own presidency through these communications,” Coffman said. “It was degrading to the office of the presidency. I wish he would have more respect for the office than he’s demonstrated.”
Coffman referenced a TV news interview with then candidate Trump last year. When asked if he could act more presidential, Trump said he could, but it would be “boring.”
“Mr. President,” Coffman said Thursday morning. “we’re ready for boring. The American people are ready for boring. They are fed up with your behavior.”
While Coffman said he isn’t sure if messages to change Trump’s behavior will work, he said it was important for Republicans in Congress to try and get the president to stay within the boundaries of acceptable behavior for someone in the office. He pointed to former President Barack Obama’s sparse use of Twitter to address serious issues and the impact that had on the conversation, whether someone disagreed with the message or not.
“That’s clearly the objective, to try and get him to change his behavior. I don’t know (if it will). I tend to think his inner circle is really weak. I think they’re afraid of him. That’s why it’s important for members of Congress to stand up to him, especially from his own party,” Coffman said. “There are times when (Trump’s) tweeting is so out of control it undermines his cabinet and is self destructive. There’s no other way to put it.”