(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The legacy media appeared to downplay the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a massive rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon.
Early headlines such as CNN’s “Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally” and The Washington Post’s “Trump escorted away after loud noises at Pa. Rally,” were prominent on several outlets, seemingly minimizing the gravity of the situation.
How national media is covering an assassination attempt on a former US president. pic.twitter.com/ctEyUWQ4pG
— Natalie Johnson (@nataliejohnsonn) July 13, 2024
Lawmakers, media critics and observers quickly noticed the passive headlines that downplayed the historic shooting that rocked the nation on Saturday afternoon.
“‘Falls at rally’? Is this a real headline? This is disgraceful,” wrote Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Twitter, responding to CNN’s headline.
Echoing this sentiment, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a rumored Trump running mate, wrote, “Even in a horrifying moment such as this they just can’t help themselves.”
The Media Research Center (MRC), a conservative media watchdog, captured several live segments of major outlets seemingly curbing the important detail that Trump, a former president and front-runner for the 2024 general election, was shot.
On NBC News, host Lester Holt disturbingly claimed the motives of the shooter weren’t clear. In response, MRC Executive Editor Tim Graham wrote, “Yes. We do. He wanted Trump dead.”
Yes. We do. He wanted Trump dead. https://t.co/oWwX1pQjV9
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) July 14, 2024
A CNN chyron on a show hosted by Wolf Blitzer read, “Trump injured in incident at PA rally.” A video compilation shared by MRC’s Bill D’Agostino featured videos from CNN and MSNBC on reports of “loud noises.”
“CNN and MSNBC were so scared of giving Trump a martyrdom bump that they could not physically bring themselves to say ‘possible gunshots,’” wrote D’Agostino on Twitter, sharing the video.
Media on Trump being shot: "REPORTS OF LOUD NOISES"
CNN and MSNBC were so scared of giving Trump a martyrdom bump that they could not physically bring themselves to say "possible gunshots."
Just mealy-mouthed reports of "a lot of noise," "loud noises," "maybe fireworks." pic.twitter.com/H96GAUrHDi— Bill D'Agostino (@Banned_Bill) July 13, 2024
Earlier coverage on CNN featured a reporter live at the rally, whining about Trump supporters being “angry” after their candidate was nearly killed by an individual.
Former President Trump was shot and CNN’s reporter on the scene whines that the crowd is angry at the media. pic.twitter.com/RZX5fefX72
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 13, 2024
On MSNBC, a anchor Jonathan Capehart claimed, “We all have to take a step back … also, we should all be mindful of how we talk about this right now and how we talk about it going forward.”
Former President Trump was almost assassinated and MSNBC tries to censor the conversation:
Jonathan Capehart: We all have to take a step back … also, we should all be mindful of how we talk about this right now and how we talk about it going forward. pic.twitter.com/y76LTdXpg9— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 13, 2024
While initial details about the shooting were unclear, likely prompting reporters to hesitate about making definitive statements in such situations. However, such responsible journalism has been thrown out of the window in their coverage of Trump.
For years, they peddled the demonstrably false claim that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.
Similarly, these same outlets quickly blamed Israeli forces for a Gaza hospital bombing, only to be proven wrong when it was revealed that a terrorist group in Gaza was responsible.
More reactions to the media’s spins below.
May have been? https://t.co/ZnNXUYTacS
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 13, 2024
You don’t hate the media enough https://t.co/ALSMzkzvnK
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 13, 2024
Guys, cmon. pic.twitter.com/okLyo1rnn8
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) July 13, 2024
Wow sounds serious, are there any other details you might want to share with people, CNN? https://t.co/2ebJB4KnmK
— Bill D'Agostino (@Banned_Bill) July 13, 2024
