Trump jabs at CNN’s Cuomo over viral ‘Fredo’ video | TheHill

President TrumpDonald John TrumpHarris campaigns off of NRA attack Help wanted: American ambassador in Moscow Goldman Sachs CEO dismisses ‘impending economic crisis’ amid rising recession fears MORE on Tuesday mocked CNN anchor Chris CuomoChristopher (Chris) Charles CuomoCNN slams GOP for not appearing on network after mass shootings, conservatives fire back Biden to Harris: ‘Go easy on me kid’ CNN’s Cuomo spars with Kris Kobach over whether Trump’s tweet was racist MORE after a viral video first shared by right-wing accounts showed the prime-time host getting into a heated exchange with an unidentified man who repeatedly called him “Fredo.”

The video, which began circulating Monday night, features Cuomo comparing the term “Fredo” to the “N-word.” The moniker references a character from the film “The Godfather” who betrays his family.

“I thought Chris was Fredo also,” Trump tweeted. “The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings

@CNN” 

I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN https://t.co/yBpGjt4N1T

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019 

The video shows Cuomo repeatedly cursing at a man who appeared to mock him by calling him “Fredo.” It is unclear when and where the exchange took place. 

“Punk ass bitches from the right call me Fredo,” Cuomo says to a man standing beside him. “My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN. Fredo is from ‘The Godfather.’ He was a weak brother and they use it as an Italian aspersion.”

The man involved in the confrontation tells the anchor that he’s a “much more reasonable guy in person than you seem to be on television.”

“If you want to play then we’ll f—ing play,” Cuomo responds. “If you’ve got something to say about what I do on television then say it.”

Cuomo, who is being held back by other people in the video, at one point threatens that he will “f—ing throw you down these stairs like a f—ing punk.”

A CNN spokesperson said the network stands by Cuomo, saying the anchor “was defending himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup.”

Some Trump aides took issue with Cuomo’s characterization that “Fredo” was comparable to the N-word. 

“The N word is a dehumanizing word used against blacks who endured years of oppression,” Katrina Pierson, a Trump campaign aide, said on Twitter. “Fredo is a term from The Godfather, referring to the dumb brother. Equivocating the two is pure racism.”

Sean HannitySean Patrick HannityBill Maher roots for recession so that Trump loses in 2020 Hannity, de Blasio spar over taxes, meatless Mondays Trump lashes out at Fox News’s Shep Smith, says ‘fake news CNN is better’ MORE, a Fox News personality and one of Trump’s favorite television hosts, came to Cuomo’s defense after the video of the incident went viral.

“I say good for @ChrisCuomo,” Hannity tweeted. “He’s out with his 9 year old daughter, and his wife, and this guy is being a jackass in front of his family. Imho Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology.”

Trump often derides CNN and some of its employees as “fake news” over coverage he dislikes and mocks the network for its ratings. He has in the past jabbed at Cuomo after the anchor and brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) got his own prime-time hour.