‘Indecent, Vile’: Trump Slammed for Retweeting, Quoting Angry Protestors Berating Long Island Reporter
President Donald Trump ignited more online outrage on Friday night when he seemed to mock a reporter’s coverage of a Long Island anti-lockdown protest by retweeting the clip and directly quoting an anti-press chant from several of the attendees: “FAKE NEWS IS NOT ESSENTIAL.”
The original viral video, posted by a News12 reporter, showed him walking along a roadside protest replete with Trump 2020 flags, during which he is constantly berated and insulted. As the clip rocketed across the Internet on Friday, many Trump supporters began showing solidarity with the angry protestors by quote-tweeted the video and repeating the protestors’ rant: “Fake news is not essential,” which Trump apparently got around to seeing and parroting on Friday night.
“FAKE NEWS IS NOT ESSENTIAL!”https://t.co/5286zgRVWQ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2020
That the president was spending the end of his Friday — a day in which another 1,500 Americans died from Covid-19 and the national death toll rose to 87,000 — picking on a local journalist just doing his job, set off a flurry of online disgust and dismay.
Good thing the president is trying to calm down the misplaced ang- https://t.co/Bzz9KulZkQ
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 16, 2020
87,000 Americans dead, 1.3 million infected, and the president is attacking a local TV news reporter who was trying to do his job and cover a protest. Indecent, vile. https://t.co/fPBfz0MWak
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 16, 2020
87k people are dead and the President is stirring up harrasament on a *local news* reporter for covering a right wing protest. https://t.co/6KZ5YVWMzi
— andrew kaczynski? (@KFILE) May 16, 2020
It’s discouraging enough to watch the tape of these knuckledraggers harassing a reporter who’s just doing his job by covering their protest (and who produced an even-handed segment for his local newscast).
But to see the President pile on, bullying a civilian… it’s nauseating. https://t.co/XCdsqwAqqO
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) May 16, 2020
The only answer? Beat this horrible human being in November. https://t.co/0WqJOXo89S
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 16, 2020
Wow. He’s actually co-signing the threatening behavior in this video. https://t.co/NDzPqJzQy0
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) May 16, 2020
Is getting mad online at News 12 Long Island the highest, best use of your time?
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) May 16, 2020
Actually journalism is very essential and this is wildly unpresidential https://t.co/FWiVZFIt61
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) May 16, 2020
Wow. Reporter who did his job and kept filming as he was walked a gauntlet of anger now has the president quoting the people berating him. https://t.co/Ibou12rvfl
— Zach Haberman (@ZHaberman) May 16, 2020
Ladies and gentlemen…I present the president of the United States…the Sociopath-in-Chief who’s egging on foul-mouthed, menacing violators of mask and distancing guidelines while harassing a reporter. MAGA… #Trump #coronavirus #covid19
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 16, 2020
Trump is not essential.
— Philip N Cohen (@familyunequal) May 16, 2020
This is a terrible, despicable thing for the President to do. https://t.co/XqlHTxejrN
— David S. Bernstein (@dbernstein) May 16, 2020
