Actress Debra Messing frequently posts political messages on her various social media, typically in support of progressive causes. This past weekend, it resulted in her garnering the attention of President Donald Trump himself, who took the opportunity not to address her concerns but to belittle the actress instead.
Messing pushed for the release of names of donors who were planning to attend a fundraiser for the president in Beverly Hills. The list has so far been kept private.
“Please print a list of all attendees please. The public has a right to know,” Messing wrote in a tweet, per reporting from People.
Trump responded to Messing by recalling a time she once called him “sir.”
“I have not forgotten that when it was announced that I was going to do The Apprentice, and when it then became a big hit, helping NBC’s failed lineup greatly, @DebraMessing came up to me at an Upfront & profusely thanked me, even calling me ‘Sir.’ How times have changed!” Trump wrote in his tweet.
Satirist Jeremy Newberger responded to Trump’s tweet by sarcastically lauding the president for pointing out that the actress once called him “sir.”
Messing herself responded to Newberger’s tweet, writing that she’d rather attention be brought “to the Category 5 Hurricane #Dorian threatening our south eastern coast, and the tragic & preventable shooting that occurred [Saturday] in #Texas.”
I’d rather you bring attention to the Catagory 5 Hurricane #Dorian threatening our south eastern coast, and the tragic & preventable shooting that occurred yesterday in #Texas. https://t.co/MVbOuHwKUU
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019
Messing then wrote another tweet, this time directed to Trump himself, in which she quoted a separate posting that highlighted statistics, including the number of individuals who died in mass shootings over recent years.
Now that I know I have your attention @realDonaldTrump, please read this thread— a PARTIAL list of souls lost to preventable,devastating gun violence. America wants universal background checks. The majority of Americans want assault weapons ban. Take Action and I’ll call you Sir. https://t.co/BnaS9zgNps
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) September 1, 2019
Later, Messing returned to her original point: that the president was hiding the names of his supporters who planned to attend his fundraiser. Why he was doing so was confusing to Messing, who herself donates to many causes.
“I am proud to be a donor when I contribute to a campaign,” Messing wrote, per CBS News. “I am happy to be listed when I attend a fundraiser. I am assuming anyone who donates to Trump’s fundraiser would feel the same. Why wouldn’t they?”