The White House Fired Back: A Live-Posting Frenzy During CNN's Town Hall with AOC and Sanders.
On Wednesday night, as CNN hosted a town hall featuring Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to discuss the government shutdown, the White House's RapidResponse47 X account went into overdrive, live-posting throughout the 90-minute event titled "Shutdown America."
This is where the story gets interesting... The independent senator from Vermont and the Democratic congresswoman from New York took questions from the audience, with CNN's Kaitlan Collins moderating. One student, Nicole Plewicka, asked Sanders why Republican messaging on social media seemed more effective than that of the Democrats. Sanders replied, "I think the Republicans are effective. They have learned a lot about social media. And by the way, it doesn’t hurt that their friends own all of the major social media platforms."
The RapidResponse47 account jumped on this, posting, "Crazy Bernie thinks Republicans are more 'effective' at messaging on social media than Democrats because tech companies and the mainstream media are in the tank for us," and adding a string of laughing emojis. The White House’s own X account reposted the CNN video of Sanders discussing Republican social media influence, captioning it "Great question." They even added a sombrero to his head with Latin music, perhaps to inject some humor.
Another student, Rohan Naval, questioned Sanders about how the shutdown reflected on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's leadership. Sanders shifted the focus, saying it reflected more on House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump's leadership. When Naval disagreed, Sanders challenged him, asking if he thought it was a good idea to give tax breaks to the wealthiest while cutting healthcare. The RapidResponse47 account then posted, "Crazy Bernie just got wrecked on national television."
When asked about ICE raids, Sanders claimed President Donald Trump was using them to spread fear, which prompted the RapidResponse47 to call Sanders "Absolutely deranged."
Bartender Bobbie Harms asked Sanders what he was doing to end the government shutdown. Sanders responded that they would do everything they could, adding that if Trump won the fight, the health system could collapse. RapidResponse47 reposted the footage, claiming Sanders admitted it was all about beating Trump, and that "They want free healthcare for illegals."
After Sanders answered another question about the shutdown, White House communications director Steven Cheung joined the conversation, writing, "The Shutdown Democrats can’t even get their message straight. When Wacky Bernie and AOC From the Block are the party’s messengers, you know they are screwed." Cheung also mocked AOC's slip of the tongue and Sanders' comment about media mogul Larry Ellison potentially buying CNN.
But here's where it gets controversial...
What do you think? Do you agree with the White House's assessment of Sanders and AOC's messaging? Do you think the White House's social media response was appropriate, or did it cross a line? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
