Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg called out a Washington Post columnist for selectively editing a video that appeared to show him avoiding a handshake from President Trump.
And he did so in classic Trump style.
Rudy Gersten, a columnist with numerous sports bylines at the Post, shared a video on social media captioned, “Strasburg left Trump hanging.”
The scene emerged as the Washington Nationals visited the White House to celebrate their recent historic championship run.
Gersten, pleased with the snub, added a crying/laughing emoji to drive home the point.
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Strasburg left Trump hanging. ? pic.twitter.com/LFNQTpCs89
— Rudy Gersten (@DCBarno) November 4, 2019
Fake News
Strasburg responded to Gersten with a simple hashtag – “#FakeNews.”
A full version of the video shows very clearly that Strasburg turned to embrace his manager first, later pivoting back to the President and First Lady Melania Trump to offer a handshake.
congrats on the viral tweet pic.twitter.com/gCqdFn6jyo
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) November 5, 2019
Visit our friends at WHATFINGERNEWS: The Internet’s Conservative Homepage
Gersten remarked that Strasburg’s ‘Fake News’ tweet was his first foray into social media in quite some time.
“Strasburg tweets for first time in nearly 2 years, and it’s just to call my tweet #FakeNews,” he wrote.
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Nationals Visit Didn’t Go According to Plan For Libs
To his credit, Gersten – who claims the short video clip wasn’t selectively cut off and that it was a light-hearted and funny tweet – was level-headed in his coverage of the Nationals White House visit on Monday.
“One request of Nats fans: don’t attack the Nats for going to the White House Monday,” he requested. “For many, a trip there is not about who’s in the Oval Office, it’s about the building & institution. For those like Sean Doolittle who choose not to go, that decision should be respected as well.”
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The columnist also noted that first baseman Ryan Zimmerman had become the “target of (an) internet mob” for stating positive things about the President.
WATCH: World Series champion and @Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman gives @realDonaldTrump a personalized jersey.
“Thank you for keeping everyone here safe in our country & continuing to make America the greatest country to live in the world.”pic.twitter.com/VsKP0q8rtL
— BlazeTV (@BlazeTV) November 4, 2019
Zimmerman took the stage and thanked the President for “keeping everyone here safe in our country” and “continuing to make America the greatest country to live in the world.”
Meanwhile, catcher Kurt Suzuki, another pivotal player in the Nationals World Series run, donned a MAGA hat and engaged in a brief hug with the President, lighting the liberal Twittersphere on fire.
Gersten’s original tweet of Strasburg went viral while subsequent responses explaining that Strasburg did indeed shake the President’s hand went relatively unnoticed.
“I edited nothing. Stras did, in fact, leave him hanging, it was accidental but funny. I also tweeted them shaking hands and acknowledged immediately in the replies they shook,” he later wrote.
Strasburg’s response also seemed light-hearted with his play on Trump’s famous catchphrase of ‘fake news.’
Goes to show when you have bylines in a major newspaper, you need to be careful what you share on social media. Providing full context is essential.
