Donald Trump blasted for posting old video of himself in hillbilly onesie before signing farm bill
Minutes before signing the farm bill on Thursday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to mark the occasion with a trip down memory lane. Not unlike many times in the past, he has managed to draw criticism from many internet users.
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Trump shared a throwback video from the 2006 Emmy Awards when he teamed up with “Will & Grace” actress, Megan Mullally, for the “Emmy Idol” challenge.
He was a real-estate mogul and reality TV host at the time and came onstage prepared to perform the theme song from “Green Acres,” a 1960s American sitcom about farm life.
The series followed the lives of Oliver Wendell Douglas (played by Eddie Albert) and Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor), as they tried to adjust to life on the farm after moving from a fast-paced, sophisticated New York.
"Walls work, whether we like it or not."
For their performance, Trump channeled Oliver in a pair of dungarees, white T-shirt, and straw hat; he also held on to a pitchfork. Mullally was Lisa in a luxurious green outfit lined with fur.
“Green Acres is the place to be. Farm livin' is the life for me,” sang the president who had a more-than-comfortable upbringing in New York.
Mullally would later reveal that Trump was very intent on winning the night’s challenge, and when they eventually did, he called her the next day to say:
“Not only did we win it, but I hear we killed them. It was a landslide!”
Now, 12 years later, Trump repurposed the throwback clip and captioned it: “Farm Bill signing in 15 minutes! #Emmys #TBT."
Unfortunately, the lighthearted attempt did not go down well with many Twitter users. One person implied that the president was reacting to pressure:
“After the horrible week he’s having this is what he decides to tweet to the country. He has never been the sharpest knife, but now that everything is going downhill and he’s under pressure it is obvious that he’s having a mental breakdown. It’s time to use the #25th amendment”
A second Twitter user said “This was genuinely disturbing” while Mullally herself responded:
"If you guys need me, I’ll be in a hole in the ground."
The Farm bill authorizes $867 billion in federal agriculture funding.
Trump’s controversial tweet comes amid fears of a partial government shutdown over his refusal to budge on government funding of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Walls work, whether we like it or not," said the president.
Meanwhile, the “Green Acres” video joins a long list of other tweets by the president that has sparked outrage from the public.