Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:47 pm
Donald Trump’s run of bad press continues as a Time photographer was attacked and choke slammed by a Secret Service agent after he went 18 inches outside of a media pen to photograph some protesters.
Here is photographer Chris Morris getting choke slammed by a Secret Service agent:
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Here is video of the moment when Christopher Morris was ordered back into his pen by a Secret Service and responded by saying, “f**k you:”
Here's moments prior. The reporter says "f*ck you" — that's when it got physical pic.twitter.com/h9K2wIbEWQ
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) February 29, 2016
Morris said that he stepped 18 inches outside of the pen, was grabbed by the Secret Service agent and was slammed to the ground:
Time photog Chris Morris tells me how he was grabbed and taken down at Trump rally pic.twitter.com/XKDJarpXda
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 29, 2016
In statement, the Secret Service said that they are investigating the incident, “The Secret Service is aware of an incident involving an employee of the Secret Service that occurred earlier today in Radford, VA. At this time, our local field office is working with their law enforcement partners to determine the exact circumstances that led up to this incident. The Secret Service will provide further details as warranted once additional facts surrounding the situation are known.”
The Trump campaign is unique in that they don’t let reporters roam around and speak to people at live events. Trump mandates that all reporters be screened when they enter a venue and then are kept in a pen where they have to stay during the event. Reporters are not free to do their jobs as journalists. They can’t walk around and interview anyone. Donald Trump views the political media as his personal transcription service. Any actual practicing of journalism when covering Trump is not tolerated.
Donald Trump has had a very bad two days. He didn’t disavow support from the KKK, and now security is physically assaulting journalists at his events. None of this is likely to matter regarding the primaries on Super Tuesday. Republican voters appear to have decided that he will be their nominee. The problem is that Trump survives on friendly and free media coverage. If the media gets less friendly or cuts off the free airtime, Donald Trump will have a major problem on his hands.
Things are going from bad to worse for Trump, who at best looked unelectable, but now could be a political disaster the likes of which the country has not seen in decades.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
