The creator of a gif showing Donald Trump “beating up CNN” has a history of racist and anti-Muslim posts.
The US President was accused of encouraging “violence against reporters” after sharing the bizarre video of himself wrestling a man whose face has been obscured by the CNN logo.
A Reddit user has claimed responsibility for the clip, which was shared on Trump’s personal and presidential Twitter accounts on Sunday.
The user, who goes by the screen name HanAssholeSolo, wrote: “Holy shit!! I wake up and have my morning coffee and who retweets my shitpost but the MAGA EMPORER himself!!!
“I am honoured!!!”
The video was posted on Wednesday by the Reddit user with the title “Trump takes down fake news”.
Among HanAssholeSolo’s previous posts were his claims that when he went to Paris he “carried punch blades” sewn into his pockets. He commented on one post: “That cat would be in a blender if it did that to me.”
The Reddit user was also accused of sharing anti-Semitic and racist content, such as a meme showing CNN personalities with Jewish stars.
HanAssholeSolo has deleted some of the worst slurs the account has posted, Quartz reported, erasing the n-word and deleting a post about killing all Muslims.
At the weekend, CNN spoke out against the clip, slamming the president’s “juvenile behaviour”.
In a statement CNN said: “It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters.
“Clearly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied when she said the president had never done so.
“Instead of preparing for his overseas trip, his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, dealing with North Korea and working on his health care bill, he is instead involved in juvenile behaviour far below the dignity of his office.
“We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.”