Trump Denies Mocking ‘New York Times’ Reporter’s Disability

@reuters
Trump Denies Mocking ‘New York Times’ Reporter’s Disability

By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump denied on Thursday he was mocking the physical disability of a New York Times reporter during a campaign speech in which he flailed his arms and distorted his speech in an imitation of the journalist.

The latest uproar over Trump’s behavior on the campaign trail was ignited by remarks the billionaire real-estate tycoon and former reality-TV star made during a South Carolina rally on Tuesday about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center.

Trump, front-runner for his party’s nomination for the November, 2016 election, was defending his unsubstantiated assertions that thousands of Muslims were seen in New Jersey cheering the collapse of the Twin Towers. During the speech, he singled out Times investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski for a story he wrote a few days after the attacks while he was then a Washington Post correspondent.

That article reported authorities had detained “a number of people who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river.” Those accounts have never been authenticated.

Kovaleski himself said in a recent CNN interview that he did “not recall anyone saying there were thousands, or even hundreds of people celebrating. That was not the case, as best I can remember.”

While not referring to Kovaleski by name in his speech, Trump accused the reporter of backing down from his own story.

“Now, the poor guy – you’ve got to see this guy. ‘Ah, I don’t know what I said. I don’t remember,'” Trump said at the microphone, jerking his arms in front of his body and slurring his words in a crude impression of the reporter.

Kovaleski suffers from a congenital condition called arthrogryposis, which limits mobility and muscle development in the joints.

The New York Times issued a statement on Thursday rebuking Trump, saying, “We think it’s outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters.”

Trump fired back on social media, denying he had made fun of Kovaleski’s disability or would even recognize him.

“I merely mimicked what I thought would be a flustered reporter trying to get out of a statement he made long ago,” Trump wrote. “If Mr. Kovaleski is handicapped, I would not know because I do not know what he looks like. If I did know, I would definitely not say anything about his appearance.”

He also accused Kovaleski of “using his disability to grandstand.”

In an interview for the Times, Kovaleski said he was certain Trump remembers him from his days covering the real estate developer for the New York Daily News in the 1980s, and that the two were “on a first-name basis for years.”

“The sad part about it is, it didn’t in the slightest bit jar or surprise me that Donald Trump would do something this low-rent, given his track record,” The Washington Post quoted him saying in a separate interview.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman from Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio)

Photo: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at an event at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Randall Hill

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Many liberal and progressive pundits have been predicting a "brain drain" from red states — skillful, college-educated doctors, university professors and teachers leaving because of oppressive MAGA policies. OB-GYNs are worried about draconian anti-abortion laws; teachers and librarians are under attack from the far-right Moms for Liberty.

Keep reading...Show less
Scott Perry

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA)

Since Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) participated in ex-President Donald Trump's plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, he's faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in his state of Pennsylvania.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}