We Will Reveal Trump GIF Maker If ‘Ugly Behavior’ Resumes

As Tom pointed out, the Reddit user who posted the Trump/CNN GIF apologized to CNN as soon as they sent him a message.

The last bit about CNN reserving the right to publish the young man’s personal identifiable information has many claiming that it’s blackmail. CNN is fully aware of the stakes around the merger, which is why they essentially fired three decorated, veteran reporters last week for getting one story wrong on Russian Federation and Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci last week. In HanAssholeSolo’s GIF, posted on a pro-Trump subreddit, McMahon’s head is replaced by the CNN logo. The majority of his supporters later said they viewed the media as their enemy.

Perhaps somewhat related to this act of contrition was the fact that CNN had tracked down HanAssholeSolo’s real-life identity and attempted to make contact with him on Monday. With that said, the adolescent Reddit user turned to Reddit itself to make an apology.

On Reddit, “HanA**holeSolo” took credit for inspiring the tweet. The user also issued a request that “people who troll on the Internet for fun” like he did should consider the consequences of their actions.

Meanwhile, it was also reported that the voting trends varied between Democrats and Republicans.

But, this Reddit kerfuffle is something worth paying attention to because it’s part of a broader pattern from this White House: Strong denials of things that seem relatively clear cut, with no additional details provided. Nearly as if CNN is trying to appease readers who would otherwise demand the information they acquired.

A new poll suggests that more Americans trust CNN more than they trust the president. Nearly as if CNN is an authority figure and HanA**holeSolo is an apologetic child, promising he wont hit anyone again as long as he gets his baseball bat back.

I’m willing to bet that HanA**holeSolo is under 25 years old and lives with his mom and dad. “He called us afterwards to apologize further”. The specific qualifying statement in this agreement is not something that should be common practice, though. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 5, 2017So I guess they weren’t effective threatening the admin so they go after & bully a 15 y/o?

On the one hand, we have a detailed analysis of the origin of the GIF, which first appeared on Reddit last Wednesday, and its creator acknowledging he made it. Why would an apology cause CNN to hide his identity?

The controversy started when President Donald Trump posted a Tweet with the GIF of him attacking the figure representing CNN. Here’s the thing: the story here isn’t the guy who made the meme. Wouldn’t want you to threaten to dox my family if you don’t. There’s a Black Mirror episode about this too – Black Mirror: “Shut Up and Dance” (Season/Series 3, Episode 3) – particularly mind-breaking, that is.

Still, she said, the network could have explained its decision better and the “reserves the right” claim is unnecessarily problematic.