President Trump took aim at teenage activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter after the Swedish teen’s speech at the United Nations climate summit on Monday, according to CBS News.
The president retweeted a video Monday evening of Thunberg’s speech with the seemingly sarcastic words, “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”
The 16-year-old responded by updating her Twitter bio Tuesday morning to read, “A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future,” CBS reported.
Thunberg was visibly emotional throughout her speech at the U.N., according to CNN. She urged world leaders to take action on climate change by telling them: “People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.”
Trump attended the U.N. climate summit for around 15 minutes on Monday, according to CNN.
Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s former communications director, tweeted his distaste for the president’s comment.
“Parents in America and around the world: he went after a 16-year-old girl yesterday,” Scaramucci said. “@realDonaldTrump unfit to serve.”
The president was not the only one to blast the teenager after her speech. A guest on Fox News on Monday evening called Thunberg “a mentally ill Swedish child,” The Washington Post reported.
Thunberg has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which she has referred to as her “superpower,” according to the Post.
Fox apologized to Thunberg for the comments, and in a statement to the Post, said, “The comment made by Michael Knowles who was a guest on ‘The Story’ tonight was disgraceful — we apologize to Greta Thunberg and to our viewers.”
Meanwhile, the Autism Society said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, “To intentionally demean any person, regardless of neuro-diversity, is both cruel and wrong. Certainly some might disagree with Ms. Thunberg on policy issues, but it is shameful to issue a derogatory statement to a youth advocate.”