President Trump Sparks Social Media Backlash With 'Mission Accomplished' Tweet

President Donald Trump's recent air strike on Syria was controversial enough, but his tweets about [...]

By Michael Hein

President Donald Trump's recent air strike on Syria was controversial enough, but his tweets about the operation drew a wave of backlash on social media.

The president wrote "Mission Accomplished!" in regards to the strikes coordinated by the U.S., the U.K. and France against Syrian targets. Users on Twitter couldn't help but draw a parallel to President George W. Bush, who announced the end of major combat operations on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in 2003.

The then-president stood before a massive banner that read "Mission Accomplished," though U.S. troops had actually been deployed in the area just a month before. The banner became a grim symbol of the perpetuity of war in the area and the United States' confusing involvement.

Later, President Bush admitted that the banner was a mistake.

"It was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship, but it conveyed a broader knowledge," he said in a 2008 interview with CNN. "To some it said, well, Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over, when I didn't think that. But nonetheless, it conveyed the wrong message."

President Trump's use of the familiar phrase struck a chord with the American people, many of whom opposed military action against Syria.

"A perfectly executed strike last night," read the president's full post. "Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!"

"I didn't think I could be shocked by a tweet anymore but 'mission accomplished' was so surprising I had to double check that it was not a spoof," wrote Sen. Brian Schatz, from Hawaii.

"Um... I would have recommended ending this tweet with not those two words," wrote President Bush's former press secretary, Ari Fleischer, who went on to explain the story of the banner for those who didn't remember.

The president responded to the outrage early on Sunday morning.

"The Syrian raid was so perfectly carried out, with such precision, that the only way the Fake News Media could demean was by my use of the term 'Mission Accomplished,'" he wrote. "I knew they would seize on this but felt it is such a great Military term, it should be brought back. Use often!"

Many remembered Donald Trump's strong rhetoric against military strikes from before he was president as well, dredging up old tweets where he had spoken out against President Barack Obama's excessive use of drones and other military actions.

"What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict?" he wondered in August of 2013. "Obama needs Congressional approval."

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