President Donald Trump’s attempt at humour with a Harvey Weinstein quip spectacularly misfired.
The White House grounds were abuzz on Wednesday, June 18, as towering flagpoles were erected following the President’s declaration of their urgent necessity. Amidst the clamour of construction, Trump seized the opportunity to address the press, flanked by workers donned in vivid yellow and hard hats.
FOX News was on hand to capture the moment Trump jested about the workers “making a fortune.” and needing to return to work. He playfully suggested that among them might be someone who could catch the eye of a film producer – though quickly excluding Weinstein from the possibilities.
He quipped, “Somewhere in this group there is somebody that is gonna captivate some movie producer. Not Harvey Weinstein.”, reports the Mirror US.
A ripple of laughter spread among some of the workers at the joke.
Undeterred, Trump added, “Harvey’s seen a better day. It won’t be Harvey but it will be somebody.”
However, when the footage hit Fox’s X page, the response was far from positive. One user lambasted, “Ha a god damn moron. No you f—–g nitwit you can’t appoint yourself. Jesus Christ. This is our president. The dumbest f—-r walking.”
Another echoed the sentiment, questioning, “Why the hell is he thinking about his fellow sex pest rn?”
One individual took to social media, exclaiming, “What the actual f–k is he talking about? Harvey Weinstein? And why is that the first movie producer he can think of?” Another added, “Trump uses sexual offender Harvey Weinstein as a punch line, as if his crimes are just another joke to him. Disgusting.”
Weinstein has recently been back in court in New York for a retrial. The shamed film tycoon was previously convicted of sexual assault in New York, but these convictions were overturned last year.
After extensive jury discussions, Weinstein was found guilty on one count of rape, but acquitted on another. A third rape charge is still under consideration as the jury continues to deliberate.
His sentence will be determined once the final verdicts are in.
A juror approached Judge Farber requesting to be excused from the case. They cited disagreements among the jury members, who were allegedly caught gossiping in lifts.
“The experience I’ve had in the day-and-a-half here, in good conscience, I don’t think this is fair and just,” he stated.