Aggressive Raccoons Keep Harassing White House Reporters — And There’s Wild Video
Well, at least they wear masks.
It seems that a gang of wily raccoons has taken up residence on the White House lawn and at least one sneaked up on a TV reporter early Wednesday.
CNN’s Joe Johns was on camera shooting a live spot for “New Day” when a raccoon attempted to creep into the frame. In response, Johns threw an object at the critter and hollered “Get!” as he tried to salvage his footage.
“Frickin’ raccoons, man,” Johns exclaimed in the clip as he repeatedly turned away from the camera to check for further advances. “God, again! That’s the second time. Jesus.”
This is what a consummate professional @joejohnscnn is. Seconds before his @NewDay live shot, he fends off a raccoon attack! Just another day in the nutty news cycle. #behindthescenes #whitehouseraccoon #wildlife pic.twitter.com/p13w3QICiD
— Alisyn Camerota (@AlisynCamerota) October 7, 2020
Johns explained later that “no animals were harmed” when he “threw something to scare it off.” He also offered a theory on why the White House raccoons have been so, uh, friendly lately.
“I think they’re attracted to the lights,” he said.
So it’s the 2d time in two weeks a raccoon has shown up shortly after the @NewDay open. I think they’re attracted to the lights. No animals were harmed. I threw something to scare it off. #CrazyOuttakes https://t.co/VXBPflFYGm
— joe johns (@joejohnscnn) October 7, 2020
It seems that raccoons have been a problem for reporters outside the White House for at least a week.
Paula Reid of CBS News said a raccoon attacked multiple news crews on the North Lawn on Sept. 28, and posted photos on Twitter showing a few rummaging around a media tent.
Strong Pawnee vibes at White House this morning as a raccoon attacked multiple news crews on North Lawn. 🦝 allegedly grabbed pant leg of a photographer & then a corespondent before being fended off. (WH 🦝🦝 🦝 pictured here in more peaceful times.) pic.twitter.com/o5VbTUHxBR
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) September 28, 2020
“Strong Pawnee vibes at White House this morning,” she tweeted, a reference to the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, in the political comedy “Parks and Recreation,” which was, oddly enough, overrun by menacing raccoons.
Reid also tweeted that federal authorities had set traps for the raccoons using marshmallows as bait.
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MORE: It’s a trap. We found one of the traps set out for the 🦝 who attacked a few journalists yesterday on the White House north lawn. Feds using marshmallows as bait.... #TuesdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/eV5j2kIhdc
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) September 29, 2020
And if that wasn’t enough, Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner, a White House producer for NBC News, shared footage from before dawn Wednesday showing Secret Service agents trying to wrangle a raccoon from a tree.
“Good morning from the White House,” Perlmutter-Gumbiner captioned her video.
Good morning from the White House, where Secret Service is trying to wrangle a raccoon. pic.twitter.com/JKT60Q1NO5
— Elyse PG (@elysepg) October 7, 2020
Naturally, people on Twitter had jokes ― especially about Johns’ on-camera encounter.
That was a very rude way to treat the Acting Deputy Secretary of HHS
— TakingYouAllDownWithMeHat (@Popehat) October 7, 2020
I welcome the raccoon overlords https://t.co/e0q5hU1oMj
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) October 7, 2020
A raccoon you say? I know someone who might be interested. pic.twitter.com/WV6cWklIhS
— Stuart Wexler (@jomolungma) October 7, 2020
HuffPost got no comment from the raccoons ― just this:
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.