President’s team mocks Thunberg

Donald Trump’s team have edited his face on to the body of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg after she was named ‘Time’ Person of the Year. The Trump War Room account on Twitter posted the altered front cover of the magazine on Wednesday, the same day the 16-year-old won the accolade for «turning vague anxieties about the planet into a worldwide movement calling for global change».

Mr Trump’s team said: «When it comes to keeping his promises, there’s only one Person Of The Year.»

Listing the reasons why they believe he deserved the award, they added: «Booming Economy, Record Job Creation, Historic Tax Cuts, #AmericaFirst Trade Deals, Isis Destroyed, Building the Wall.»

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Mr Trump mocked the Swedish 16-year-old, calling her distinction «ridiculous» and suggesting she work on anger-management issues and go to a movie with a friend.

His advice, in a morning tweet, came a day after she condemned leaders’ inaction and became the youngest person to be dubbed Person of the Year by ‘Time’. «So ridiculous,» Mr Trump tweeted. «Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!»

He was responding to a tweet congratulating Ms Thunberg by Roma Downey, an actress and producer from Northern Ireland. Her production credits include the History Channel miniseries ‘The Bible’, which she also starred in as Mary.

Ms Thunberg wasted little time in offering a rejoinder. Shortly after his tweet, she had updated her Twitter profile to read: «A teenager working on her anger management problem.

Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.»

Mr Trump, who has called climate change a «hoax», also took note of Ms Thunberg following an appearance at a UN climate summit where she offered an impassioned — and somewhat fatalistic — plea to global leaders.

«She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!» Mr Trump tweeted.

Ms Thunberg embraced his sarcastic description and altered her Twitter profile to «a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future».

At her UN appearance, she chastised leaders for praising young activists like herself while failing to deliver on drastic actions needed to avert the worst effects of climate change, and warned if the world continued with business as usual, her generation would face an insurmountable catastrophe.

In explaining its choice of Ms Thunberg as Person of the Year, ‘Time’ editor in chief Edward Felsenthal said «she became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year, coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement».

Ms Thunberg represents a broader phenomenon of young people pushing for change, Mr Felsenthal said.

He pointed to the Parkland, Florida high school students who became leading voices on US gun control, as well as the Hong Kong protesters who have spent months in the streets urging democratic reform. (© Washington Post)