WASHINGTON _ In the latest instance of President Donald Trump seeming to revel in the notion of physical attacks against perceived enemies, the president retweeted an animated GIF showing him hitting a golf ball that knocks down Hillary Clinton.
Critics swiftly responded. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appearing on ABC's "This Week, said: "It's distressing to have a president that frankly will tweet and retweet things as juvenile as that."
The original Twitter post, from a user whose Twitter handle consists of an expletive, was sent last week and retweeted Sunday by the president, who is spending the weekend at his New Jersey golf property.
A former Trump campaign strategist, David Urban, brushed off the controversy. "Retweets do not equal endorsements," he said on CNN's "State of the Union."
The president has previously taken to Twitter to retweet animations, including one that depicted him pummeling a figure with a CNN logo superimposed on his head. Another presidential Twitter share last month � later deleted � showed a train hitting a person, again with a CNN logo imposed on the figure's head.
Trump associates have previously dismissed criticism of such retweets, suggesting they were intended to be humorous.
Clinton's new book about the campaign was released last week, and Trump has repeatedly used Twitter to deride her as a sore loser.
In the first part of the animation Trump retweeted on Sunday, the president is seen in golf attire, teeing off. The second shows footage of Clinton tripping as she boards a plane, with the video altered to show her being struck in the back with a golf ball.
