Once again Donald Trump has gone too far. With the world focused on the brutal murder of a Saudi Arabian columnist, the President brushed that aside to laugh at violence against a reporter. Trump was in Montana Thursday campaigning for Congressman Gianforte. Gianforte pled guilty after body-slamming a reporter during his 2017 campaign for a special election. He was sentenced to anger management and community service for the attack on Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian. Now Trump seems to be encouraging the behavior saying:
“Any guy that can do a body-slam…he’s my guy.”
“I had heard that he body-slammed a reporter. And he was way up, he was way up… this was like the day of the election or just before and I said oh this is terrible. Then I said I know Montana pretty well I think it might help him and it did.”
The crowd applauded and laughed, but most people don’t see anything funny about promoting violence against journalists. The Guardian, who employs Jacobs, writes:
In a statement, the Guardian US editor, John Mulholland, said: “The president of the United States tonight applauded the assault on an American journalist who works for the Guardian. To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the first amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it.
“In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats. We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the president will see fit to apologize for them.”
This is just sick. Trump is creating the permissive conditions for future violence against journalists. “Trump jokes about congressman assaulting reporter: ‘Any guy who can do a body slam … he’s my guy’ @CNNPolitics https://t.co/noS9QUSnCm
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) October 19, 2018
Body slamming journalists is nothing to be proud of https://t.co/q8NDMZfjYk
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) October 19, 2018
The disturbing part of Trump’s jokes about Gianforte was the effect on the crowd. I saw one young man in the crowd making body slam gestures. He looked at me and ran his thumb across his throat. I talked to him after the rally was over. He couldn’t stop laughing.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018
Ready for this? Trump just hit a new low. While at his #MAGAmob rally tonight he praised GOP Rep Gianforte’s body slam of a journalist. He’s applauding the assault of a journalist. WaPo journalist Jamal Khashoggi was just assassinated. He’s giving a thumbs up to Saudi Arabia.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) October 19, 2018
And how about the irony? Trump has been pushing a narrative that Democrats are an angry mob.
A Trump crowd cheering violence is…a mob. https://t.co/L7eY9VaNAe
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) October 19, 2018
Trump encourages & applauds physical violence against journalists.
Trump's supporters? "Hilarious, awesome, I love my President!"
Maxine Waters encourages & applauds confrontation against Republicans.
Trump's supporters? "Horrible, dangerous, the Left is a mob!"
Smh.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 19, 2018
Watch Trump’s remarks above.