In a speech at the 11th Annual Campaign for Life Gala, the slurring and rambling President of the United States praised a GOP congressman who physically assaulted a reporter last year.
“Boy, he is a good campaigner,” Trump said of Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte. “Great job.”
Video:
Trump compliments Greg Gianforte for being “a great campaigner.” (Gianforte assaulted a reporter during his campaign!) pic.twitter.com/Es7EWVUW2z
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 23, 2018
Gianforte assaulted a reporter and lied to the police
The man Trump praised on Tuesday assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs last year, the day before his Montana special election contest against Democrat Rob Quist.
As The Guardian reported at the time: “Ben Jacobs, a Guardian political reporter, was asking Greg Gianforte, a tech millionaire endorsed by Donald Trump, about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate allegedly ‘body-slammed’ the reporter.”
He was charged with misdemeanor assault and it was later reported that he misled the police after the altercation.
Sadly, Gianforte ended up winning the election by less than six points in Montana’s at-large congressional district, though Trump won the state by more than 20 points in 2016.
At the end of the day, Trump’s praise of Gianforte isn’t all that surprising. After all, Trump’s own campaign style was similar, as he frequently bullied his critics and incited violence at his political rallies.
With respect to the press, the president hasn’t physically assaulted a journalist, but he has never missed an opportunity to spew dangerous rhetoric about the media. In the past, he’s called the free press the “enemy of the American people.”
In the Trump era of American politics, bullying is no longer a disqualifier. In the eyes of the President of the United States, bullying is “great” campaign strategy.
It’s a tactic Greg Gianforte employed on the eve of his election victory, and it’s one Trump has championed since he entered the political arena.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
