In the aftermath of the shooting in Washington, D.C. that has left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured, President Trump has attempted to assign blame to President Biden while deflecting his own responsibility. Faced with questioning from a woman reporter, Trump yet again lashed out with personal insults, as he has done multiple times in recent days.
On Thursday, Trump became angry at a woman journalist who asked him about the vetting of an Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, killing 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and leaving 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe in critical condition. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had worked with American forces in Afghanistan before entering the U.S. in 2021 after Biden withdrew U.S. troops from the country; he was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April. When a reporter asked Trump why he blamed Biden despite his own administration vetting Afghan nationals, Trump snapped, asking her “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” While deflecting blame to Biden administration policies, he repeated the insult, saying “you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”
Trump has lashed out at several women reporters in recent weeks
Trump’s verbal tirade is at least the third time that he has personally insulted a woman reporter in recent weeks. As Blavity previously reported, Trump angrily cut off a Bloomberg reporter asking him about Trump’s possible links to the so-called Epstein files, with the president saying “quiet, quiet Piggy” to the woman. And on Tuesday, Trump posted a long message on social media that included an insult against New York Times reporter Katie Rogers, who he described as “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out.” The personal attack came after Rogers coauthored an unflattering story that called into question the 79-year-old Trump’s stamina amid concerns about his energy and health.
White House defends president’s insults
Members of the Trump administration and supporters of the president have defended his outbursts White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the Daily Beast that “President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency.” Jackson added, “This has nothing to do with gender – it has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all time lows.” The White House’s official Rapid Response 47 social media account also reposted video of Trump’s insults and derided the reporter for her question, which it labeled “FAKE NEWS.”
As Trump faces scrutiny over everything from Epstein to immigration to his own fitness, he has grown increasingly volatile, choosing to direct much of his anger toward women reporters. With the White House defending Trump over these insults, it seems likely that these presidential outbursts will continue, with women in journalism appearing to be his frequent targets.