Trump calls out 'double standard,' asks why not fire Samantha Bee for calling Ivanka a 'c---'
- President Donald Trump called out what he saw as a "double standard" between the treatment of Roseanne Barr and Samantha Bee.
- He asked why TBS hadn't fired "Full Frontal" host Samantha Bee after she called Ivanka Trump a "feckless c---."
- Barr had her show, "Roseanne" pulled by ABC for tweeting a racist insult to an Obama administration official.
- The comments from Bee and Barr differ greatly, as do their respective shows and networks, so it's unclear if they can be usefully judged on the same standards.
President Donald Trump called out what he saw as a "double standard" on Friday morning, asking why TBS hadn't fired "Full Frontal" host Samantha Bee for calling his daughter Ivanka Trump a "feckless c---."
Trump tweeted: "Why aren't they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but that's O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!"
Bee used a derogatory remark against Trump's daughter and adviser over her perceived failure to protect immigrant children. A policy of Trump's administration has been to separate families that cross the border illegally, something that has sparked outrage.
"The language used by Samantha Bee last night is vile and vicious. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling," White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
Bee later apologized for the remark, saying that she "crossed a line" and "deeply" regrets her comment, but she had already lost advertisers.
The automotive classifieds website Autotrader and the insurance giant State Farm announced they were pulling their ads from the show.
While Trump stands on shaky ground accusing TBS of a double standard, his assertion that Bee's show has low ratings is solid.
A double standard?
Trump's "double standard" remark seemed to conflate TBS's business with ABC, the company that fired Roseanne Barr after she tweeted a racist insult to a former Obama administration official.
While both TBS and ABC produce television, as separate companies they have different standards, so it's a stretch to judge one by the other's rules.
Additionally, while Bee used one of most offensive words in US English to attack Trump, Barr mocked the appearance of a woman of color, likening her to an ape and attempting to tie her to the Muslim Brotherhood, which many countries consider a terrorist organization.
The comments from Bee and Barr differ greatly, as do their respective shows and networks, so it's unclear whether they could be usefully judged on the same standards.
Trump has also attacked ABC for bad reporting on his campaign, and has demanded an apology from the network's owner, Bob Iger.