...
By James Bickerton
News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Prominent conservative figures have reacted with fury after CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel said Donald Trump mouthing what she claimed was "fight, fight, fight" in the aftermath of Saturday's assassination attempt was "not the message that we want to be sending right now."
Speaking live on air Gangel said: "I do want to say that when I watched the tape there was one thing I found, because of all the heated rhetoric, and that is that after he was hit, former President Trump got up and said 'fight, fight, fight, fight.' I think what we're hearing from people is that's not the message that we want to be sending right now. We want to damp it down."
Read More on U.S.
The Context
Donald Trump was injured and a rally attendee killed after a man opened fire while the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was addressing supporters near Butler in Pennsylvania. The suspected gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
The attempt on Trump's life was captured by television cameras, which showed the Republican speaking in front of a wall of supporters before multiple shots rang out. Trump is seen grabbing his right ear and ducking before he is surrounded by Secret Service agents.
...
As he was led away from the stage Trump told the agents to "wait, wait, wait" before raising his fist defiantly to the crowd. Gangel reported that at this point Trump mouthed "fight, fight, fight," but this has not been independently confirmed by Newsweek.
In a post on his Truth Social website Trump said: "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear." In addition to the rally attendee killed, two others were seriously injured according to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
What We Know
Responding to Gangel's comment on X, formerly Twitter, Donald Trump Jr., the former president's oldest son, posted: "Someone attempted to assassinate my father tonight and this is what @CNN is focused on. These people are vile."
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly shared a clip of Gangel's remarks adding: "The man was bleeding from a bullet wound to his head. W** is wrong with you Jamie Gangel? In any event it was the most inspirational 'FIGHT' many ppl have ever seen or heard. The fact that you heard it as you did shows how badly you've lost the thread."
Talk radio host Erick Erickson added: "This is why there must be media accountability. CNN's Jamie Gangel is upset that 30 seconds after Trump got shot he wasn't lecturing his crowd. Unbelievable. Victim shaming."
Newsweek contacted CNN and Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election campaign for comment by email on Sunday outside of usual office hours.
Views
In a post on X responding to the assassination bid President Joe Biden wrote: "I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania.
"I'm grateful to hear that he's safe and doing well. I'm praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.
"Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There's no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines