According to a recent article by The Washington Post, former President Donald Trump grabbed an NBC reporter’s phone and demanded his removal from an airplane during an interview.
Trump has altercation with journalist on a plane
The incident took place after Trump’s campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25, where he spoke to a group of reporters aboard his plane.
The journalist, Vaughn Hillyard, asked Trump about the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation and payments from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
After dismissing the case, Trump continued to speak when Hillyard asked a follow-up question, which seemed to annoy the former President.
Trump slams the story as ‘fake news.’
According to the reports, Trump said, “Don’t ask me any more questions,” after journalist Vaughn Hillyard suggested Trump seemed “frustrated” by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation.
The interaction escalated further after Hillyard continued to ask questions about the investigation,
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Trump reportedly told Hillyard. “Do you hear me? You’re not a nice guy,” Trump added when Hillyard tried to as another question, turning to take a question from another reporter.
When Hillyard persisted, Trump reportedly told aides, “Alright, let’s go, get him out of here … Out of here. Out of here.”
Trump then threw his phone aside and continued speaking to the other reporters. According to a person on the flight, the journalists were ushered away from Trump.
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Trump indicted for ’34 felony criminal charges.’
The incident occurred just days before Trump’s indictment on March 30 for 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records.
The charges against him include fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion related to his business practices before and during his presidency.
Trump pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges
He pleaded not guilty to these charges on April 4. Before this, he had predicted that he would soon be roped into the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal investigation into hush money payments to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Read also: Trump Owed Millions To Foreign Creditor Which Was Undisclosed
Trump takes a dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
During the interview, Trump also spoke about his Waco rally, boasting a crowd of “25,000-plus people.”
Trump took a dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his potential 2024 rival, saying, “Ron DeSanctimonious had 179. So far, that’s been his biggest crowd in Iowa.”
Read also: Trump Was Lied To About The COVID Vaccine – Peter Navarro
A history of tense relationships with the media
Trump’s relationship with the media has always been tense, and this incident is not the first time he has had altercations with reporters.
Throughout his first campaign, Trump regularly lashed out at the press, singling out specific news outlets as “fake news.”
However, his campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, stated in an email that Trump “has had many mainstream reporters on the plane this election (including from Washington Post) and no negative incidents” ever occurred.
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Trump’s behaviour ‘unprofessional’ or ‘self-defense’?
The incident raised questions about Trump’s behaviour and relationship with the media.
Some have criticized Trump for his unprofessionalism, while others have defended him, stating that he was reacting to a biased reporter.
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