There are many things that make Donald Trump a strange man, but one of the most peculiar has to be his fixation with Kristen Stewart. Back in 2012, it emerged that the actor – then 22 – had had an affair while still in a relationship with her Twilight co-star, Robert Pattinson. And Trump, who knew neither Pattinson nor Stewart personally, was not happy about it.

As is his way, the future president of the United States took to Twitter to vent his outrage.

“Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart,” he tweeted. “She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again – just watch. He can do much better!”

(Gentle reminder: Trump had a notorious affair with his second wife while still married to his first, and has bragged about sexually assaulting other women while married to third wife Melania.)

It wouldn’t be the first time that Trump would tweet about Stewart.

In yet another post, he wrote: “Everyone knows I am right that Robert Pattinson should dump Kristen Stewart. In a couple of years, he will thank me. Be smart, Robert.” He went on to issue an invite to Pattinson to attend the Miss Universe pageant as his guest.

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Of course, that was then, and this is now. Then, Donald Trump was just an seemingly dotty reality TV mogul. Now, he’s the president of the United States. Then, Kristen Stewart had a boyfriend; now, she has a girlfriend. Que sera, sera.

Stewart came out a couple of months after Trump was confirmed as the Republican presidential nominee, and referenced her sexuality again during a recent appearance on Saturday Night Live, in which she addressed the president directly.

“Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re really probably not going to like me now,” she said. “Because I’m hosting SNL and I’m, like, so gay dude!”

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In a new interview, the famously private actor explains why she decided to talk publicly about her sexuality during Trump’s rise to power.

“Considering I had so many eyes on me, I suddenly realised [my private life] affects a greater number of people than just me,” she tells the Sunday Times.

“It was an opportunity to surrender a bit of what was mine, to make even one person feel good about themselves.”

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Stewart, who is currently dating Victoria’s Secret model Stella Maxwell, continues: “If it didn’t seem like a relevant topic, like something that needed help, I would have kept my private life private forever.”

While Trump boasted that he would be an LGBTQ-friendly president on the campaign trail, his behaviour since becoming president has failed to live up to this promise. He reportedly came close to scrapping executive orders protecting LGBT rights in February, only relenting after pressure from his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, and has rolled back protections for transgender students.

At a time when it seems uncertain whether their government will protect them, the importance of positive LGBTQ role models in the media cannot be underestimated. Research has shown that these public figures can help young people feel more confident about coming out, and serve as sources of pride, inspiration and comfort.

In other words – you go, Kristen Stewart.

Images: Rex Features