U.S. President Donald Trump bashed 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday, a day after Time magazine named her “Person of the Year,” accusing her of having an “Anger Management problem” and telling her to “chill.”
“So ridiculous,” the president tweeted in response to a tweet congratulating Thunberg on the honour. “Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”
Minutes later, Thunberg’s Twitter bio was updated to read: “A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, mocked Thunberg’s win on Twitter on Wednesday, calling it a “marketing gimmick.”
Thunberg was chosen from Time’s five finalists for “Person of the Year.” The finalists also included Trump, who earned the recognition in 2016 and has been featured on the magazine’s cover several times, as well as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, anti-government protesters in Hong Kong and the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint about Trump prompted the impeachment probe.
After Thunberg delivered an impassioned speech about the climate change crisis at the United Nations in September, Trump mocked her on Twitter, sarcastically writing that she seemed “like a very happy young girl looking forward to bright and wonderful future.”
Thunberg didn’t respond directly, but tweaked her Twitter bio then as well, calling herself a “very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”
Trump has a pattern of attacking his critics on Twitter, even as his wife, first lady Melania Trump, leads an initiative called “Be Best” meant to curb cyberbullying and promote kindness.
A spokesperson for the first lady did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.