It was two words on Twitter which he later deleted that got prominent Republican commentator Jeffrey Lord fired from CNN on Thursday.
Mr Lord used the pharse “Sieg Heil!” which means “Hail victory”, a famous Nazi salute that was used by members of the party and the German armed forces, in his argument with Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone.
Two hours later, CNN announced the termination of its contract with Mr Lord, who had been a regular contributor to the channel and had been one of the more senior advocates of Donald Trump.
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“Nazi salutes are indefensible,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. “Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network.”
New York Times reporter Michael Grynbaum tweeted that Mr Lord was in a “CNN town car” headed to New York when he learned about his firing.
“Just talked to @realJeffreyLord. He was in his CNN town car on way from Harrisburg, PA to NYC when he got the call. The car turned around.”
NPR correspondent David Folkenflik also reported that the more conservative Fox News will not hire Mr Lord:
After the firing, the former CNN commentator tweeted cynically:
LOL
He later told his former network, “I love CNN, but I feel they are caving to bullies here.”
The station has been following stricter guidelines with its contributors and commentators. Last June it fired documentary host Reza Aslan over anti-Trump tweets using profanity.
