A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat was escorted out of a rally in El Paso, Texas, on Monday after he allegedly shoved and swore at a BBC cameraman and other news crews.
According to the BBC, Ron Skeans said he felt a “very hard shove” from his blindside.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.
Video released by the BBC shows Skeans filming Trump during the rally when the camera noticeably begins to shake before falling forward.
NBC News reports the man had entered the press area and allegedly went after the journalists before another man wrestled him away.
WATCH: Fact check — Trump says Dems threaten cow ownership, air travel and border security
“F*** the media,” he shouts during the incident.
Gary O’Donoghue, the BBC’s Washington correspondent, told the Today programme that the man pushed the camera into another one of his colleagues before continuing to push Skeans.
He said Skeans is “fine” but on Twitter said it was a “shameful moment.”
O’Donoghue added that the president had “repeatedly goaded” the crowd over supposed media bias during the rally prior to the incident, a “constant feature” of the rallies.
WATCH: ‘I can’t say I’m happy’ about border security deal, Trump says
Trump has had a contentious relationship with the media since prior to his election, claiming journalists are “enemy of the people” and tweeting criticisms of “fake news” over negative stories published about his administration.
Eleanor Montague, Washington producer for the BBC, was also sitting in front of the camera with O’Donaghue and alleges other journalists were also attacked, though Skeans “got the brunt of it.”
In a separate video, Trump can be heard asking Skeans if he’s alright and if everything’s OK, giving him a thumbs up after checking before continuing his speech.
WATCH: Trump says he doesn’t think U.S. will see a shutdown
The president had gone to El Paso to campaign for his border wall, an issue which resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown ended last month but could have begun once more at the end of this week had a deal on border security not been reached. Late Monday, however, lawmakers said they reached a bipartisan agreement though it’s yet to be seen if Congress will approve it and if the president will sign the deal.
A campaign official for Trump later suggested the man was drunk.
Comments