MSNBC anchor Brian Williams set off a firestorm online after he called footage of missiles launching into Syria Thursday night "beautiful."
Williams made the comments while speaking with NBC terrorism analyst Malcolm Nance following the news that President Donald Trump ordered strikes at Syrian government targets. Those targets included the airfield where intelligence showed the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical weapons attack from days earlier.
"We see these beautiful pictures at night from the decks of these two US Navy vessels in the eastern Mediterranean," Williams said. "I am tempted to quote the great Leonard Cohen: 'I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.' And, they are beautiful pictures of fierce armaments making, what is for them, a brief flight over to this airfield. What did they hit?"
Williams received criticism on social media after his remarks, which were largely viewed there in a jingoistic light.
Watch the original comments below:
you dope pic.twitter.com/JL3lxKZfDa
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 7, 2017
And the criticism that followed:
Jesus Christ -- Brian Williams: "I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons" - You can support airstrike without glamorizing it. https://t.co/77tefLFt9g
— Yashar (@yashar) April 7, 2017"Look at these beautiful pictures."
-Brian Williams on MSNBC last night praising missiles being launched.
Media just loves to cover war. 😒
— Rob (@RobCabrera) April 7, 2017
Jesus. If you had any doubt over just how much bombs excite news anchors, watch Brian Williams poetically describe missiles as "beautiful". https://t.co/tfeiKssqjG
— Danielle Ryan (@DanielleRyanJ) April 7, 2017
Seriously though, how did Brian Williams say this? What was he thinking? https://t.co/hzdc1Rhhnr
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) April 7, 2017
Brian Williams the first time he saw a Tomahawk missile pic.twitter.com/EnOgoW5pH0
— Paul Danke (@pauldanke) April 7, 2017
30% too dystopian for a Friday: Brian Williams quotes Leonard Cohen on "beautiful" airstrikes, part of fake POTUS' fake humanitarian mission https://t.co/aLX9l67p8G
— Dan Delmar (@DanDelmar) April 7, 2017"Beautiful"- wrong word, #brianwilliams -- language of those who did not serve. We need more power players in US who served and understand.
— Lisbeth Darsh (@lisbethdarsh) April 7, 2017
Brian Williams is under fire for calling the US strike beautiful. However that story might not be true as it was reported by Brian Williams.
— Will Presti (@WillPresti) April 7, 2017