Social media is pulling no punches on the baiting of an apparent sympathetic CNN interview with a U.S.-designated terrorist in Mexico.
"Unbelievably, CNN gives Sinaloa cartel member a chance to throw a pity party about being labeled a terrorist, but the cartel member tells them President Trump is just rightly 'looking after his people,'" a poster on X wrote, responding to CNN's reporting where it protected a designated terrorist at a secret location. "He says he respects that."
The CNN reporter interviewed a cartel gangster who says he helps deliver fentanyl to Americans, and he warned "all areas are dangerous" in Mexico and was asked about the Trump administration designating Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel among the Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists on Feb. 20 after a day one Trump administration executive order on Jan. 20.
"Well, the situation is ugly, but we have to eat," the cartel member told the CNN reporter, who then asked for a message to Trump, and the response brought ridicule on CNN from social media.
The terrorist told CNN he would give Trump his "respect" for "looking out for his people."
"But the problem is the consumers are [in the United States]," the terrorist said, according to subtitles of his masked and distorted-voiced interview. "If there weren't any consumers, we would stop."
Social media voices mocked CNN for the terrorist's shocking admission he respects Trump for his administration's work to root out deadly fentanyl, even at the length of accepting being labeled a terrorist.
"CNN is in full meltdown mode," a poster on X wrote. "All their usual smear tactics have failed — again. So what's their next brilliant move? Interviewing the freaking Sinaloa Cartel.
"Yes ... the cartel. They were clearly hoping for a 'Trump is evil' soundbite.
"Instead? Total backfire."
Another noted the apparent sympathy CNN had for a terrorist.
"So CNN is concerned about hurting the cartel's feelings?" the X poster wrote. "This isn't the flex they think it is. It's offensive to Americans."
And another poster mocked CNN for its attempt at anti-Trump propaganda only to deliver Trump's message.
"Not the answer the Communist News Network wanted," an X poster wrote.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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