President Trump tweets on Women’s March protesters: “Why didn’t these people vote?”

President Donald Trump, in between tweets about his “long standing ovations” at CIA headquarters and his inauguration’s television ratings, implied in a tweet early Sunday morning that the Women’s March protesters did not vote.

“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.”

However, shortly after posting that first tweet, he added that he respects Americans’ right to protest:

In an appearance on “Face the Nation,” top aide Kellyanne Conway defended Mr. Trump’s comments on the protests.

She denounced the “vulgar” comments from some at the Women’s March on Washington, saying there was no need for such “negative” comments.

“You had profanity-laced, vulgar comments coming from celebrities,” she said. “Donald Trump in his inaugural address talked about the forgotten man, now these forgotten celebrities came to Washington to deliver really negative messages.”

The gender gap in the election was large: Mr. Trump beat Clinton by 53 percent to 41 percent among men, while Clinton won among women by 54 percent to 42 percent. The gender breakdown among white voters was different, however: Mr. Trump beat Clinton among white women 53 percent to 43 percent.

The Women’s March featured millions of protesters in cities across the country rallying against President Trump’s stated agenda, with the primary protest being a large rally in Washington, D.C. Many protesters wore pointy-eared “pussyhats,” carried signs protesting various aspects of the new administration’s plans, and chanted, “Welcome to your first day, we will never go away.” 

It’s not clear which of the many celebrities to speak at the Women’s March President Trump was referring to in his tweet, but Madonna’s fiery, profanity-laced speech has since drawn the most attention online. 

“I’m angry,” Madonna stated at one point, pointing to her chest. “Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”  

In addition to tweeting about the Women’s March protesters, Mr. Trump also weighed in on his visit to CIA headquarters on Saturday afternoon. 

While standing in front of the CIA’s memorial to fallen officers, the president tried to reassure the intelligence community he was still behind them after a series of disparaging remarks. He also talked about his anger with the media for its coverage of the crowd size at his inauguration.

Recently-departed CIA Director John Brennan issued a blistering statement about Mr. Trump’s appearance shortly afterwards, slamming what he described as the president’s self-aggrandizement in front of the memorial to our nation’s fallen intelligence officers. 

The president, however, had a different take in a tweet on Sunday, focusing instead on the “long standing ovations” he received in Langley, Virginia, and calling the overall event a “WIN!”