In the world of Twitter battles, critics fought back against President Donald Trump's "American Dream" tweet with the hashtag, "American Nightmare."
Trump kicked off Thursday morning by asserting that the Republican Party is the "party of the American dream," which garnered support from some Twitter users. However, others offered a counter-narrative of their own.
Co-founder of the Dem Coalition Scott Dworkin said the president "misspelled nightmare, a sentiment echoed by comedian Tony Posnanski.
You misspelled nightmare.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) April 4, 2019
Film producer Shaun O'Banion took the correction a step forward and edited a photo of Trump's tweet.
Fixed it for you, Donnie. You’re welcome. pic.twitter.com/78Ag2BOlAk
— 𝙸𝙽𝚃. 𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚆𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙼𝚂 - 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 (@shaun_obanion) April 4, 2019
Nick Jack Pappas, a comedy writer and activist, posted on Twitter that the American Dream is meant for immigrants and the less fortunate to find a better life and equality of opportunity.
"The American Dream is about rising up through your own hard work, not getting everything handed to you by a rich father," Pappas said. "Trump doesn't know anything about the American Dream, and the Republican Party's complicity to him has created an American Nightmare."
The American Dream is for immigrants and those less fortunate to find a better life, not for rich men to get even richer.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) April 4, 2019
The American Dream is about the equality of opportunity, not a $1.5 trillion tax cut for the rich that compounds inequality.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) April 4, 2019
Jim Keat, associate minister of digital strategy and online engagement at The Riverside Church in New York City, claimed that the notion of a singular American Dream was "debunked generations ago." Instead, he argued, there are "dreams of diverse Americans," which he said the GOP doesn't represent.
I’m pretty sure the idea of a singular “American Dream” was debunked generations ago. There are the dreams of diverse Americans. And the GOP does not represent them all.
— 💡Jim Keat (@IdeasDoneDaily) April 4, 2019
Another user, Nick Harpster, who identified himself as an activist, responded to Trump's tweet with the comment that the American Dream was for a "new president."
Not everyone disagreed with the president and Travis Wines, a former House of Representatives candidate from Michigan, threw his support behind Trump's claim.
"We must continue to fight every day for the American Dream that so many have fought and died for! #MAGA," Wines posted on Twitter.
We must continue to fight every day for the American Dream that so many have fought and died for! #MAGA
— Travis (@TWines4congress) April 4, 2019
Before posting on Twitter that the Republican Party was the party of the American Dream, Trump twice claimed it was the party of "great healthcare." On March 28, the president tweeted that Obamacare was too expensive with "ridiculously high" deductibles, which made it "virtually unusable" and a "disaster."
He then reiterated the claim on Monday in a three-part tweet about health care. He claimed "everybody agrees" that Obamacare doesn't work and said Republicans were working on a "really great" health care plan with lower premiums and deductibles.
"The Republican Party will be known as the Party of Great HealtCare (sic)," Trump posted on Twitter. "Meantime, the USA is doing better than ever & is respected again!"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more
