Trump is responsible; he needs to pay a price

A BBC cameraman was attacked at Trump's El Paso speech last night.

Footage from [BBC cameraman Ron] Skeans’ camera, tweeted by O’Donoghue, suggested he and his equipment were knocked off balance for around 10 seconds, as he was filming Trump’s speech. Skeans recovered to film a man in a red Make America Great Again cap being restrained and shouting: “Fuck the media.”

As he was led away some in the crowd at the rally could be heard chanting: “Let him go.”

[...]

O’Donoghue said a Trump supporter got on to a media platform and pushed the camera into his colleague, before continuing to push Skeans.

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The president could see the incident and checked with us that all was OK,” she said. “It is clearly unacceptable for any of our staff to be attacked for doing their job.”

O’Donoghue said the goading of the crowds against the media is a “constant feature of these rallies”. “I have been spat at before, they hurl abuse at American colleagues in particular,” he added.

[...]

Trump told the crowds inside El Paso County Coliseum that 69,000 people had signed up to attend. “The arena holds 8,000 and, thank you fire department, they got in about 10 [thousand],” he said. “But if you really want to see something, go outside. Tens of thousands of people are watching screens outside.”

According to reports, a spokesman for El Paso fire department said the president’s claim was incorrect, and that only 6,500 people were allowed inside – the building’s capacity.

  Guardian

Aside from checking that they were ok, did Trump make any comments to the crowd about the incident?

The incident came after the US president heavily criticised the media at the rally.

Mr Trump checked the cameraman was well with a thumbs up before continuing his speech

  BBC

That is not sufficient.

Last August UN experts warned Mr Trump's attacks "increase the risk of journalists being targeted with violence", calling his rhetoric "strategic".

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>Ms Montague said the president had spoken of "fake news" and how the media misrepresented him in the run up to the assault.

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A campaign official for Mr Trump afterwards suggested the attacker was drunk.

  BBC

Not an excuse.

Less than five minutes into his speech on Monday, Trump touted his popularity "despite the fact that the media refuses to acknowledge what we've done and how well we're doing it."

The line drew a chorus of boos from the crowd.

"I guess 93 percent of the stories are negative. No matter what we do they figure out a way to make it bad," he said to an angrier round of boos.

The assault on Skeans was one of several interruptions during Trump's speech. The others appeared to be caused by various protesters who were removed at different points in the rally. One such incident immediately preceded Skeans' shoving.

"Where do these people come from?" Trump asked rhetorically after one interruption by a protester. "They go back home to Mommy. They get punished when they get home."

[...]

"You all right? Everything OK?" the president asked as he pointed toward the rear of the arena where the cameras were set up. He gave a thumbs up, which Skeans said he returned, and said, "OK, thank you," before resuming his speech.

  USA Today

Complete fail.

Trump saw the attack from the stage and paused to give Skeans a thumbs up and ask if everything was okay.

Mere minutes later, Trump brought attention to the press in the room, jeering at them and eliciting boos from the crowd.

  TPM

Trump needs to be punished. He needs to be removed from office.

Incitement to violence and he didn't stop when it happened. Literally criminal.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.