Disgusting.
An innocent bystander was killed... and this is how she chose to handle it.
Kotaku Senior Editor Alyssa Mercante once again stirs up controversy with a series of posts on X, mocking the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Her (now deleted) posts, focused on a Star Wars stormtrooper and the ongoing gag that they can't hit shit, have unsurprisingly sparked backlash online. You can delete all you want, Alyssa, but the world needs to see you for exactly who you are.
Mercante’s first controversial post featured a photo of a Stormtrooper with the caption:
“Trump shooter revealed”
This post immediately drew attention for its flippant tone regarding a serious and potentially tragic event.
In a follow-up post, Mercante referenced the combat system from the Fallout video game series, tweeting:
VATS, or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, is a gameplay mechanic that allows players to target specific parts of an enemy’s body for precision attacks. This mockingly focuses on the shooter’s supposed incompetence, using video game terminology to trivialize the gravity of the situation.
Mercante’s interactions with other users on X further fueled the controversy.
When user @sharkerteeth posted a similar joke, describing the shooter as a Stormtrooper, Mercante replied:
“Lmao I LITERWLLU tweeted this”
Indicating continued amusement and approval of the "joke".
...After perhaps realizing how terrible it all looked, Mercante attempted to take the road of 'pretending to be holier than thou'. She deleted the posts, then said:
"Please be safe in the coming weeks! No one is being normal! DM me if you need anything!"
Which, I gotta be honest, comes across as pretty tone-deaf to her flippant posts prior.
More recently, Mercante reposted the same Stormtrooper image and questioned:
“Why did someone report this lmao”
Showing her disbelief and indifference toward any negative reactions her posts received. This also indicates that she didn't see anything wrong with the post but instead deleted it in fear of being suspended or banned from Twitter.
She followed up the next day stating on Twitter:
"Yes the tweets kept getting reported and piled on so I deleted them, no I don’t think someone dying is funny, yes I do think the uproar over this is interesting considering how many dead Palestinians there are, or how many mass shootings have been shrugged away, or how Tr*mp himself has called for violence and made fun of an assassination attempt, and his supporters stormed the capitol."
Trump called for violence? Citation needed, Alyssa. Also, Joe Biden has been doing that for a while now... So, even if that's a stance you try to take, I'd argue it's a poor starting point. We shouldn't be going down this road as a country. This should be a coming together moment, but we all know, that flies in the face of your agenda to rot this country.
Public Reaction
The public reaction to Mercante’s posts has been overwhelmingly negative, with many criticizing her for making light of an assassination attempt on a sitting president, despite her attempting to clarify and minimize the incident.
This once again raises questions about the ethical responsibilities of "journalists" and editors in their public communications, especially when dealing with sensitive political events. It's almost like she has no clue about the gravity of the situation... Or in her mind, she feels like this really isn't a big deal because so many people are dying in Palestine.
This is not the first time Mercante has been at the center of controversy. Previously, she contacted my wife via DM and tried to get us divorced. She also actively attempted to get my press pass badges canceled from San Diego Comic-Con. She's constantly harrassed me and encouraged continued attacks against me personally with zero accountability. She's displayed a pattern of behavior that undermines any 'credibility' and professionalism as a "journalist", proving once again, that she is an activist pretending to be a journalist to push her agenda.
As Twitter user 0dd_Father pointed out, Alyssa Mercante's moon tattoo on her hand (above) aligns with the 21st Century Western Marxists' alliance with Islam, specifically in support of Palestinians and Gaza - Which falls in line with her constant references and sympathy to Palestine.
While the exact reason for her tattoo here is speculative, her history of fundraising for Gaza (just before rising to fame over contacting my wife via DM) suggests her political stance, alongside her actions displayed on social media. Combining all this with the tattoo portrays her as quite the anti-American, 21st-century communist, IMHO. The Storm Trooper tweet was on the surface, a 'joke', but in reality, was far more insidious with where her mindset really is in all this.
...Which brings us back to how mocking an attempted assassination is a serious lapse in judgment, even for Mercante. It reflects poorly on her character and professional integrity (or lack thereof). As a senior editor at a once major publication, her actions not only affect her personal reputation but also the reputation of Kotaku as a whole (tho let's be honest it couldn't possibly get worse than it is right now anyways). The community is getting real tired of her flippant approach to (supposedly) covering the video game industry... and this may be the final straw.
~Smash
Communists gonna Communist.
It clearly seems like Alyssa does Not care about the consequences to any of her bad actions and she should because the shit she says online against certain individuals, companies and situations as well has been in very bad taste and it is time that she pays for her shit. This Deranged/ Unhinged-Woke lunatic bitch should either be banned from all Social Media sites and at the same time,she should probably get arrested & hauled off to jail
Someone needs to tweet Kotaku and ask them if they agree with their senior editor’s tone deaf, flippant remarks on this national tragedy. What a disgusting piece of garbage person.