U.S.
Trump, Hannity, and Others Respond to Viral Chris Cuomo “Fredo” Video
Published
1 year agoon
By
Cory Ray
- CNN’s Chris Cuomo is being criticized for his profanity-laced response to a man calling him “Fredo,” a reference to a cowardly and incompetent character in The Godfather.
- In the video, Cuomo says the term is like the n-word for Italians, a comment that has received major backlash from both conservative and liberal commentators.
- Several people including Fox News host Sean Hannity have defended Cuomo for losing his temper on the man while he was out with his family, but on Tuesday morning, President Trump retweeted the video and called Cuomo “Fredo,” himself.
The Viral Video
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is being criticized for his profanity-laced response to a man calling him “Fredo,” a reference to Fredo Corleone from the 1972 film The Godfather.
In a now-viral video, Cuomo compares the use of the name “Fredo” to the n-word, claiming it is a slur against Italian people like himself.
“Are you Italian?” Cuomo asks the man in the video. “It’s a fucking insult to your people. It’s an insult to your fucking people. It’s like the n-word for us. Is that a cool fucking thing?”
“Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me,” Cuomo said on Tuesday. “This happens all the time these days. Often in front of my family. But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.”
Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me. This happens all the time these days. Often in front of my family. But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) August 13, 2019
The Godfather films portray Fredo Corleone as a weak character, being less intelligent, more cowardly, and more incompetent than his brothers.
“I can handle things! I’m smart!” Fredo says in The Godfather II. “Not like everybody says, like dumb! ‘Not smart!’ And I want respect!”
As the viral video continues, Cuomo threatens violence, saying he will push the man down a staircase.
“I don’t have a problem with you, man,” the man says in the video.
“You’re gonna have a fucking problem.” Cuomo responds. “I’ll fucking throw you down these stairs like a fucking punk.”
Cuomo then repeatedly tells the man to “take a swing” at him. When someone touches Cuomo, presumably to remove him from the situation, he says, “Watch your fucking hands.”
The video ends with the man saying to Cuomo, “Hey, hey, look at all these cameras. You’re in for it. You’re in for it.”
According to The Washington Post, the incident took place Sunday night when Cuomo had been out with his family at a bar on Shelter Island in New York.
The man who Cuomo berates in the video had reportedly asked for a picture, calling Cuomo “Fredo,” leading up to the video.
That video was later published by the right-wing YouTube channel “THAT’S THE POINT with Brandon” on Monday after the man sent it to the channel. It was originally removed by YouTube but has since been reuploaded.
“THAT’S THE POINT with Brandon” said on Twitter that the man thought Cuomo’s name was Fredo because he listens to Rush Limbaugh, who regularly refers to Cuomo by the name.
On 8/11/19 in Shelter Island, NY. My source that sent this in says he was just asking for a photo and thought his name was Fredo from being an avid listener of @RushLimbaughEIB
— THAT’S THE POINT with Brandon (@THEECONSTITUTI1) August 13, 2019
Before the video went viral Monday night, Cuomo announced that his show, Cuomo Prime Time, would be going on hiatus until next week.
Comparing “Fredo” to the N-word
Many online met Cuomo’s comparison of the n-word and “Fredo” with criticism.
“I think the guy was being a jerk to @chriscuomo,” Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said on Twitter, “and I certainly understand Cuomo getting pissed, but there’s just no way calling someone Fredo Corleone is like the n-word. There just isn’t. That’s plain nuts.”
I think the guy was being a jerk to @chriscuomo, and I certainly understand Cuomo getting pissed, but there's just no way calling someone Fredo Corleone is like the n-word. There just isn't. That's plain nuts.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 13, 2019
Many people of color also took to social media to criticize Cuomo’s comparison, citing that Fredo is a character in a film and that African Americans have had the n-word invoked upon them for hundreds of years.
“[The n-word] is a word rooted in white supremacy, the enslavement, lynching, murder, brutalization, & dehumanization of Blacks in America for the past 400 years,” Bishop Talbert Swan said in a tweet. “FREDO was a character in ‘The Godfather,’ circa 1972. They called Blacks [the n-word] in the movie.”
.@ChrisCuomo
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) August 13, 2019
N*GGER is a word rooted in white supremacy, the enslavement, lynching, murder, brutalization, & dehumanization of Blacks in America for the past 400 years.
FREDO was a character in ‘The Godfather,’ circa 1972. They called Blacks N*GGERS in the movie.
#FredoCuomo pic.twitter.com/7npZUMdg3E
Chris Cuomo claimed calling him FREDO was like calling blacks the n-word
— Wayne Dupree 🎙🎥 (@WayneDupreeShow) August 13, 2019
1. FREDO came from a Hollywood movie.
2. Slave masters didn’t called Italians “fredo”
3. Shows you what Cuomo thinks of black people
FREDO was associated with being “slow, and couldn’t be trusted”
Response to Cuomo’s Outburst
Many, like Shapiro, have defended the reason for Cuomo losing his temper. Monday night, Fox News host Sean Hannity said “good for Chris Cuomo.”
“Imho Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for,” Hannity said. “He deserves the apology.”
I say good for @ChrisCuomo
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 13, 2019
He’s out with his 9 year old daughter, and his wife, and this guy is being a jackass in front of his family.
Imho Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology. https://t.co/VnyMNgz14U
The same evening, CNN spokesperson Matt Dornic similarly backed Cuomo.
“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup,” Dornic said. “We completely support him.”
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsChris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
Early Tuesday morning, however, President Donald Trump called Cuomo “Fredo” once more and reposted the video, saying the anchor, “Totally lost it!”
I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN https://t.co/yBpGjt4N1T
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019
Trump later tweeted again, making references to Red Flag Laws that have sparked debate after the recent shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Trump continues by seemingly making a jab at a recent CNN town hall Cuomo hosted focusing on gun control.
Would Chris Cuomo be given a Red Flag for his recent rant? Filthy language and a total loss of control. He shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon. He’s nuts!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019
Other Uses of Fredo in Media
Since the video, many have found recent uses of the term “Fredo” by commentators and on-air hosts, including one in which CNN commentator Ana Navarro calls Donald Trump Jr. “Fredo” in front of Cuomo.
“Daddy kept Fredo back home,” she said in January. “Who cares what Donald Trump Jr. says. I don’t want to talk about that entitled little brat.”
.@ananavarro slams Don Jr. for likening border wall to zoo fence: He's an "entitled, rich, spoiled little brat whose only call to fame is being his daddy's son."
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 10, 2019
"[D]addy kept Fredo back home…Who cares what [he] says. I don't want to talk about that entitled little brat." pic.twitter.com/zpTtp8ZfAd
That clip was circulated by Donald Trump Jr., who criticized Cuomo for not stopping Navarro when she made the comment to someone other than Cuomo himself.
Does CNN’s head of PR still think “Fredo” is an ethnic slur after watching this? Because if it’s the N word for Italians like @ChrisCuomo says, I don’t understand why Chris seems so at ease with someone saying it here. An excuse just as fake as his news. #FredoCuomo https://t.co/8G8yuY80CK pic.twitter.com/1gwVyDVCob
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 13, 2019
Trump Jr. asked Dornic if he still stands behind his previous comment, to which Dornic responded by tagging Eric Trump in a comment that read, “Speaking of dumb brothers…”
Speaking of dumb brothers…. cc: @EricTrump
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
Last year, Cuomo responded to a critical tweet that read, “Oh, we notice when Fredo gets testy,” after someone else said Cuomo talks loudly and is as “dumb as a rock.”
Oh, we notice when Fredo gets testy.
— David Wade (@LODaveWade) July 10, 2018
No reason to use bigoted references to be critical. I can be wrong, stupid – lots of pejorative designations. But I take that as an Italian slur, because it is – and that makes you a bigoted fool. Here is a rule: don’t be a bigot. Try to follow it. https://t.co/Smbsmc68Pi
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) July 10, 2018
A separate audio file of Cuomo calling himself “Fredo” in a 2010 radio interview has also surfaced.
“There is a group of people — politicos — who always hint they might run,” host Curtis Sliwa said, “but not necessarily plunge all the way, and they are members of la Cuomo.”
“Who am I, then, Fredo?” Cuomo asked.
See what others are saying: (Fox News) (Politico) (USA Today)

- Florida is now requiring that people show proof of either full-time or part-time residency in the state in order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The state has been hit with “vaccine tourism” as many people, predominantly wealthy individuals, fly to the state from other parts of the U.S. and abroad just to get the shot.
- So far, nearly 41,000 of the 1.3 million doses administered in Florida went to out-of-staters, though it is unclear if all those people were tourists or if this figure includes some part-time residents.
Florida Requires Proof of Residency
Florida is cracking down on “vaccine tourism” and requiring that people show proof of either full-time or part-time residency in the state in order to get a COVID-19 shot.
Previously the state was allowing anyone 65 and older, including non-residents, to get the vaccine. This resulted in people flying to the Sunshine State from across the U.S. and abroad just for the purpose of receiving it.
According to state data, nearly 41,000 of the 1.3 million doses Florida has administered have gone to out-of-staters. It is unclear if all these out-of-staters are tourists or if this figure includes some part-time residents.
Now, people must show a form of identification like a driver’s license or mortgage payment to receive it. Exceptions will be made for healthcare workers.
Vaccine Supply Continues to Be Limited
Wealthy people in particular were quick to schedule travel plans to Florida for this reason. According to the Wall Street Journal, there was an influx of Canadians booking private jets to Florida. Some were looking to book flights there and back on the same day, leaving just enough time for them to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, people in Florida and across the country are waiting in long lines and struggling to book appointments on glitching websites to get their shots. Vaccine supply continues to be incredibly limited and not everyone in high-risk groups have received them.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said this rule is not made to impact snowbirds, people who live in Florida during the winter to escape cold weather up north.
“They go to doctors here or whatever, that’s fine, DeSantis said, according to CNN. “What we don’t want is tourists, foreigners. We want to put seniors first, but we obviously want to put people that live here first in line.”
See what others are saying: (Wall Street Journal) (CNN) (Travel + Leisure)

- Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old poet, impressed the nation when she read “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration, making her the youngest inaugural poet in the nation’s history.
- Gorman’s said the Jan. 6 attack on the nation’s Capitol inspired her to focus on a message of hope, community, and healing in her poem.
- Big names like Oprah Winfrey, Anderson Cooper, Barack Obama, and Lin-Manuel Miranda have all praised her work.
Amanda Gorman Becomes Youngest Inaugural Poet
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman wowed the nation on Wednesday as she spoke of healing, unity, hope, and what it means to be American while reading her poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
At 22-years-old Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in the nation’s history. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she was the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014 at the age of 16. She then became the first national youth poet laureate in 2017.
Now, her books are topping Amazon’s Best Sellers list and they are not even scheduled to be released until the fall.
I AM ON THE FLOOR MY BOOKS ARE #1 & #2 ON AMAZON AFTER 1 DAY! Thank you so much to everyone for supporting me and my words. As Yeats put it: "For words alone are certain good: Sing, then"
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) January 20, 2021
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden became a fan of Gorman after watching her give a reading at the Library of Congress. She then suggested that Gorman be a part of the ceremony.
“Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, we hoped That even as we tired, we tried,” Gorman recited during inauguration. “That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious. Not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division.”
Like President Biden, Gorman has struggled with a speech impediment and has been open about her experience overcoming it. She actually used poetry as a tool to correct it. First, she used it as a way of expressing herself without having to speak. Then she used it to bring her poems to life.
“Once I arrived at the point in my life in high school, where I said, ‘you know what? Writing my poems on the page isn’t enough for me,” she told CBS News. “I have to give them breath, and life, I have to perform them as I am.’ That was the moment that I was able to grow past my speech impediment.”
What Inspired “The Hill We Climb”
Gorman said the inaugural committee gave her freedom and flexibility when it came to choosing what to write about. She was well on her way before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Those events then influenced her writing.
“It energized me even more to believe that much more firmly in a message of hope, community and healing. I felt like that was the type of poem that I needed to write and it was the type of poem that the country and the world needed to hear,” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
That message came across clearly and the insurrection was depicted in part of “The Hill We Climb.”
“It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it. We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy and this effort very nearly succeeded,” she said. “But while democracy can be periodically delayed it can never be permanently defeated. In this truth, in this faith we trust. For while we have our eyes on the future history has its eyes on us.”
Nation Impressed by Gorman
“Wow…Wow, I just, wow you’re awesome,” Cooper said when closing his interview with her. “I am so transfixed.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda also cheered Gorman on. “The Hill We Climb” notably references a line of scripture that appears in a “Hamilton” song. Gorman also said she used to sing the song “Aaron Burr, Sir” to help her say her R sounds and correct her speech impediment.
YES @TheAmandaGorman!!! -LMM
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) January 20, 2021
“I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise!” Oprah Winfrey wrote. “Brava Brava Amanda Gorman! Maya Angelou is cheering—and so am I.”
I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava, @TheAmandaGorman! Maya Angelou is cheering—and so am I. pic.twitter.com/I5HLE0qbPs
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 20, 2021
Winfrey also gave Gorman a ring with a caged bird on it—a reference to the famous Angelou poem— which Gorman wore during the inauguration.
Your words will lead us through. Thank you for that beautiful expression of our grace, and our potential, and the wrongs that we can always right.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) January 20, 2021
Actor Mark Ruffalo joined the onslaught of praise, saying that her words will lead the nation.
Former President Barack Obama echoed that idea as well, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Gorman promised to run for president one day.
On a day for the history books, @TheAmandaGorman delivered a poem that more than met the moment. Young people like her are proof that "there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it; if only we're brave enough to be it." pic.twitter.com/mbywtvjtEH
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 20, 2021
Wasn't @TheAmandaGorman’s poem just stunning? She's promised to run for president in 2036 and I for one can't wait. pic.twitter.com/rahEClc6k2
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 20, 2021
See what others are saying: (CBS News) (New York Times) (Los Angeles Times)
U.S.
SAT Drops Subject Tests and Optional Essay Section
Published
3 days agoon
January 19, 2021By
Cory Ray
- The College Board will discontinue SAT subject tests effective immediately and will scrap the optional essay section in June.
- The organization cited the coronavirus pandemic as part of the reason for accelerating these changes.
- Regarding subject tests, the College Board said the other half of the decision rested on the fact that Advanced Placement tests are now more accessible to low-income students and students of color, making subject tests unnecessary.
- It also said it plans to launch a digital version of the SAT in the near future, despite failing to implement such a plan last year after a previous announcement.
College Board Ends Subject Tests and Optional Essay
College Board announced Tuesday that it will scrap the SAT’s optional essay section, as well as subject tests.
Officials at the organization cited the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the reason for these changes, saying is has “accelerated a process already underway at the College Board to simplify our work and reduce demands on students.”
The decision was also made in part because Advanced Placement tests, which College Board also administers, are now available to more low-income students and students of color. Thus, College Board has said this makes SAT subject tests unnecessary.
While subject tests will be phased out for international students, they have been discontinued effective immediately in the U.S.
Regarding the optional essay, College Board said high school students are now able to express their writing skills in a variety of ways, a factor which has made the essay section less necessary.
With several exceptions, it will be discontinued in June.
The Board Will Implement an Online SAT Test
In its announcement, College Board also said it plans to launch a revised version of the SAT that’s aimed at making it “more flexible” and “streamlined” for students to take the test online.
In April 2020, College Board announced it would be launching a digital SAT test in the fall if schools didn’t reopen. The College Board then backtracked on its plans for a digital test in June, before many schools even decided they would remain closed.
According to College Board, technological challenges led to the decision to postpone that plan.
For now, no other details about the current plan have been released, though more are expected to be revealed in April.
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (NPR) (The New York Times)

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