Trump and Democrat Ted Lieu trade insults over Reflecting Pool name
Trump called Lieu a "Lightweight Congressman," and Lieu responded with jabs about the president's weight.
US President Donald Trump and Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu traded personal insults on social media on Tuesday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Lieu a "Lightweight Congressman" and accused him of making a "knowingly malicious, false, and defamatory statement."
The dispute began with Trump's comments about renaming the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which Lieu had mocked.
Trump said he made the remark "in a jocular manner" and added that he was only joking.
He claimed that all the reporters at the news conference laughed, and he said Lieu had left out the joking line.
"But 'Lightweight' Lieu, his new moniker, didn't add the line that I'm only joking because he is a FRAUD," Trump said.
Trump also said Lieu was a "Third Rate Congressman, and always will be!"
Lieu responded in a post on the US social media platform X, urging voters to punish Trump and his Republican allies at the ballot box.
In a separate post, Lieu referred to Trump as the "Lame Duck POTUS" and mocked what he called the president's "Reflecting Pool FUBAR."
Lieu also asked whether Trump had been joking about putting his name on the Kennedy Center.
Lieu said on X that he had switched to intermittent fasting and lost weight.
"POTUS has been commenting on men's bodies lately, so I'm tickled that he noticed," Lieu said.
He added that Trump "may also want to try intermittent fasting because he's on the heavy side."
Lieu said he had also changed his profile on X in honor of Trump's post.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a long reflecting basin on the National Mall in Washington, near the Lincoln Memorial.
