A recent Vanity Fair report from Gabriel Sherman—compiled from sources in the White House—detailed President Donald Trump's frustration with public concern in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The piece reported that Trump told aides he feared that members of the media were trying to contract the virus themselves in order to give him the virus on Air Force One.
Trump fumed against the report on Twitter, using some familiar insults for the press.
The magazine—which circulated over one million copies in 2018—wasn't fazed by the President's insults. In fact, they used his tweet to build even more subscribers.
They even quoted the President in their Twitter bio.
@VanityFair/Twitter
This isn't the first time Trump has gone after Vanity Fair only for it to backfire.
Shortly after winning the 2016 election, Trump claimed that the magazine was "Way down, big trouble, dead!"
Vanity Fair's revenue had actually grown that year. And after Trump's tweet, its number of subscribers skyrocketed.
It's unclear if Trump's disapproval will lead to a sales bump for Vanity Fair again, but denizens of the internet were applauding the magazine's reaction.
The President's attempt to discredit the 'zine evoked strong feelings as well.
Pathetic.
@BoLoudon/X