Robert Reich Pleads With Trump To Quit It With The ‘Petty’ And ‘Vindictive’ Tweets
“This isn’t lifting people up. This is actually penalizing people for speaking their minds,” the former Labor secretary says.
12/07/2016 10:40 pm ET

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich pleaded with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to stop the “petty, thin-skinned and vindictive” tweets against anyone who criticizes him.

Reich, on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” listed several of Trump’s Twitter responses as behavior that needs to stop immediately. His examples included ones to actor Alec Baldwin (whom Trump has attacked on Twitter for his satirical impression of him on “Saturday Night Live”); Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999, who has been critical of Trump’s deal to save jobs at Carrier (Trump tweeted Jones had done a “terrible job representing workers”); as well as the numerous journalists who have been critical of Trump and whom Trump, in return, has launched Twitter tirades against.

“Let me just say with all due respect, Mr. Trump, you are president-elect of the United States, you are looking and acting as if you are mean and petty, thin-skinned and vindictive. Stop this,” Reich said, looking straight into the camera.

“This is not a fireside chat. This is not what FDR did. This isn’t lifting people up. ....