Ungrateful TRAITOR Chelsea Manning, who should never have been released from prison, is now calling President Obama a weak leader. Terrible!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017
Trump's criticism of Manning for being "ungrateful" refers to the commutation she received from President Obama in the final days of his presidency, a move Trump criticized at the time. And the irony of Trump defending Obama from Manning's criticism that he was a "weak leader" is especially rich considering the attack on Obama was nearly boilerplate language from the president's campaign in 2016.
Manning's essay, which appeared in The Guardian, catalogs her elation with the election and reelection of Obama and the former Army private's disappointment with the unfulfilled promises of the 44th president's optimistic campaign. Manning opines that the former president's inability to implement the change he campaigned on was due to the opposition he faced by Republicans in Washington and her conclusion is that progressives (and most specifically the LGBTQ community she suggests to speak for) need a stronger leader: