Want to be President Donald Trump’s “guy”? Apparently, all you need to do is body slam a reporter. While speaking at a rally in Montana, President Trump voiced support for controversial Montana Republican Representative Greg Gianforte. In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Gianforte was the representative who physically confronted a reporter who was badgering him. While making a body slamming motion Trump joked: “…any guy who can do a body slam… he’s my guy.”
Trump went on to further elaborate that Gianforte has “nothing to be embarrassed about.” At the time of the assault, Gianforte was running for office in Montana. Some feared that the incident would derail his election hopes, but Gianforte pulled through regardless. Speaking about the incident and its impact on the race, Trump said he was initially worried: “Then I said, well, wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did.”
Gianforte ultimately pled guilty to misdemeanor assault for slamming Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian. He was given a 180-day suspended sentence, and also ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, complete 20 hours of anger management, and had to pay $385 in fines and fees.
The comments come at a particularly sensitive time. Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was allegedly killed in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. Khashoggi hasn’t been seen since entering the embassy. Turkish officials claim that he was killed by a hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia and subsequently dismembered. Recent reports suggest that Saudi Arabia might own up to the death, claiming that it was “accidental.”
While President Trump has condemned the alleged murder, his comments regarding Gianforte and previous remarks have led to allegations that Trump supports violence against journalists. Trump is also a strident critic of the mainstream media, alleging that many news networks and journalists have misrepresented his administration and its achievements.
