Trump Interrupts Reporter's Question on Nurse Death, Brands ABC as 'Fake News'
Former President Donald Trump employed a familiar strategy on Tuesday, targeting a female journalist who posed a challenging inquiry during his campaign visit to Iowa. The incident unfolded at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, where ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott attempted to ask Trump about a sensitive topic.
Confrontation Over Nurse's Death Inquiry
Scott sought to question Trump regarding whether he agreed with White House officials who had described Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis, as a domestic terrorist. Before she could complete her question, Trump abruptly cut her off, redirecting the attention of the crowd.
By the way, this is ABC fake news, this one, Trump declared, eliciting laughter and cheers from supporters in the restaurant. He added, She hasn't asked me a good question in years. I think a nice woman, but I don't really like her too much.
Despite Scott's efforts to repeat her question, Trump ignored her, waving her away and turning to another journalist. He later quipped, I'd say ABC is about as bad as they get, further escalating the tension.
Trump's Eventual Response and Broader Pattern
Approximately a minute later, Scott managed to pose her question directly: Do you agree with the assessment from some of your own officials that Alex Pretti is a domestic terrorist or an assassin?
Trump responded this time, stating, Well, I haven't heard that, but certainly he shouldn't have been carrying a gun. He continued, But all of... hey, look, bottom line, everybody in this room, we view that as a very unfortunate incident. OK, everyone, unless you're a stupid person. A very, very unfortunate incident. I don't like that he had a gun. I don't like that he had two fully loaded magazines. That's a lot of bad stuff. And despite that, I say that's a very unfortunate...
The White House's rapid response account shared a clip of the exchange on social media platform X, highlighting this as the latest in a series of instances where Trump has been rude to female reporters. Past incidents include asking CBS News' Nancy Cordes if she is a stupid person, calling The New York Times' Katie Rogers ugly, and telling Bloomberg's Catherine Lucey to be, Quiet, piggy!
This event underscores Trump's ongoing contentious relationship with the media, particularly when faced with uncomfortable questions during public appearances. The confrontation in Iowa adds to a pattern of behavior that has sparked debates about press freedom and political discourse in the United States.
