Trump Mocked as 'Hypocrite' for Saying Journalists 'Should Be Free from Fear' After Maryland Shooting
President Donald Trump — who has called the media “the enemy of the American people” — is being criticized as a “hypocrite” after he condemned Thursday’s newsroom shooting that took the lives of five people in Annapolis, Maryland.
“This attack shocked the conscience of our nation and filled our hearts with grief. Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job,” Trump said at an event touting his tax cut plan on Friday. “To the families of the victims, there are no words to express our sorrow for your loss. Horrible, horrible event, horrible thing happened.”
“My government will not rest until we have done everything in our power to reduce violent crime and to protect innocent life,” he added.
Trump address the Capital Gazette shooting: "Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job." pic.twitter.com/tJRLmqrIRR
— Meg Wagner (@megwagner) June 29, 2018
Five people were killed and two others were injured on Thursday when a gunman opened fire at the offices of The Capital Gazette in Maryland. The suspect, whom authorities have identified as 38-year-old Jarrod Warren Ramos, allegedly had a long-standing grudge against The Capital-Gazette, fueled by the paper’s coverage of his arrest on criminal harassment charges. Police said the suspect had previously made threats against the paper.
Trump first commented on the shooting on Twitter Thursday, saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”
Prior to departing Wisconsin, I was briefed on the shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2018
Some critics have alleged that Trump’s unrelenting and hateful rhetoric about the media could have potentially played a role in the shooting. There is no evidence thus far that this is true.
Blood today in an American newsroom. Aren't you proud, you vile, fascist son of a bitch. https://t.co/DI1shGj65X
— David Simon (@AoDespair) June 28, 2018
The Wire creator David Simon tweeted Thursday: “Blood today in an American newsroom. Aren’t you proud, you vile, fascist son of a bitch.”
Although he has stopped short of encouraging direct violence against the media, Trump has incited his supporters to verbally harass members of the media at his rallies, and has repeatedly attacked journalists as liars, “disgusting people” and “the enemy of the American people.”
On Twitter, many people criticized the president’s Friday comments as hypocritical and cited his past rhetoric against the media.
Obviously so ironic and hypocritical coming from Trump, who has done more to create this atmosphere of fear for journalists than anyone ???? https://t.co/tT1UL4Xom1
— Virginia Torbert (@Moonlitechirp) June 29, 2018
Trump, TODAY: "Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from fear of being violently attacked while doing their job."
Trump, 12/21/16: "I would never kill them, but I do hate them. And some of them are such lying, disgusting people. It's true."
(via @MelsLien)— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 29, 2018
Trump, who regularly rails against the "Fake News Media," says journalists "should be free from the fear of being violently attacked" in light of the Capital Gazette shootinghttps://t.co/yPa8YuPuUv pic.twitter.com/DKoDw9DmYg
— Summer Concepcion (@seriouslysummer) June 29, 2018
This might be the most hypocritical statement yet.
This man is running around the country hyping up his base and tellng them to ignore the often excellent reporting being done on his... https://t.co/54uc3nOrU0— Marty Cohen (@martycohen) June 29, 2018
Trump just said: "Journalists, like all Americans should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job.”
.@realDonaldTrump: How do you square this statement with your repeated vilification of the press as “the enemy of the American people”?— Andrew Wortman (@AmoneyResists) June 29, 2018
Trump: “Jounalists should be free from the fear of being violently attacked.”
I’d call getting hit by a train pretty damn violent!@RealDonaldTrump Guess you forgot about this retweet of yours?
The world hasn’t! #CNN #AnnapolisShooting pic.twitter.com/NlWdC0I4xb— stacey roberts (@1sroberts) June 29, 2018
"Journalists like all Americans should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their jobs"--Trump, who has targeted individual journalists and called journalists the "enemy of the people."
— Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) June 29, 2018
"Journalists like all Americans should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their jobs." - Trump.
You are a disgusting hypocrite.#AnnapolisShooting #CapitalGazette— GridDragon (@grid_dragon) June 29, 2018
Think Progress founder Judd Legum wrote: “Trump, TODAY: ‘Journalists, like all Americans, should be free from fear of being violently attacked while doing their job.’ Trump, 12/21/16: ‘I would never kill them, but I do hate them. And some of them are such lying, disgusting people. It’s true.’ ”
Another Twitter user said: “@realDonaldTrump: How do you square this statement with your repeated vilification of the press as ‘the enemy of the American people’?”
And one tweeter simply wrote to Trump, “You are a disgusting hypocrite.”
