Trump Celebrates CNN Suspension of Chris Cuomo: ‘Fredo is Gone!’

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CNN suspended host Chris Cuomo “indefinitely” on Tuesday night and few people are happier about that development than former President Donald Trump.

The move came one day after the New York attorney general’s office released transcripts of correspondence between Cuomo and members of his brother’s team, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who was combatting sexual misconduct allegations at the time. In a statement, CNN said that “these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”

Trump issued a statement almost immediately after the news broke that Cuomo had been pulled from the air:

Great news for television viewers, they have just suspended Chris Cuomo indefinitely! The big question is, was it because of his horrendous ratings, which in all fairness have permeated CNN and MSDNC, or was it because his brother is no longer Governor? Probably both. In any event, Fredo is gone!

Trump’s reference to “Fredo” is a nod to a viral video of Cuomo confronting a heckler who called him “Fredo” in 2019.

“Punk-ass bitches from the right call me Fredo,” Cuomo told the heckler, who claimed he thought his was named Fredo. “My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN. Fredo is from The Godfather.”

“They use it as an Italian aspersion. Any of you Italian?” Cuomo continued. “It’s an insult to your fucking people. It’s like the n-word for us.”