Donald Trump Attacks Rachel Scott Again In On-Camera Tantrum [Op-Ed]

Y’all, we have got to stop acting like there’s anything normal or OK about the way President Donald Trump attacks reporters — especially women reporters, and even more especially Black women reporters — just for asking him basic questions any journalist should feel obligated to ask.

And, when I say “we,” I don’t just mean those of us who have the common sense to be anti-MAGA; everyone who truly cares about our collective First Amendment rights should be more concerned than we are that the highest government officials in our nation are bullying around the press corps like mob bosses dictating to their underlings. 

No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, or where on the ideological spectrum you fall, we should all be able to agree that Trump’s attempts to intimidate and berate every journalist or institution of journalism that presents him with questions he doesn’t want to answer, but should damn sure be able to, amount to a form of censorship and abuse of power that we shouldn’t stand for, let alone accept as politics as usual.

On Thursday, ABC News’ Rachel Scott questioned Trump about his promise to pay every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans hold on to their majority in the House and Senate after the midterm elections — a promise no one who hasn’t actually tried to buy beachfront property in Iowa believes he would keep.

“Mr. President, on the checks: The U.S. is still $40 trillion in debt. If your economic policies are working, why do you need an incentive for people to turn out to vote?” Scott asked Trump on the tarmac before his departure from Dallas, according to Newsweek.

Trump began answering Scott’s question the way he answers virtually all inquiries from the media: by telling demonstrable lies about what he said, pointing the finger at President Joe Biden as if we aren’t 599 days into Trump’s abysmal second term at this point, and then attacking the media, because he didn’t want to answer the question in the first place.

“I didn’t do it for turning out the vote; I did it as a reward for people having to put up with five years and four years of a horrible situation caused by Biden,” Trump replied. “You look at the border, you look at the crime…. It’s almost a reward for the people having to put up with Biden’s policies.”

Sir — SIR — you understand that when you stood on stage at your desperate “Trumpapalooza” event in Dallas, and you told U.S. voters, “If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate…I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America a check for $5,000,” you said that into a camera, right?

To quote the great Katt Williams — “N*gga, do you know that we can see you?“

So, yes, Trump did promise $5,000 to voters in exchange for them “turning out the vote” for the GOP, which is why Scott did her job and kept pressing the president for a real answer — or at least she tried.

“But you also offered checks through—” Scott said as Trump tried to move on to another reporter.

“Not you. Not you!” Trump said, before leaning forward to get in Scott’s face like he was a mother snapping at her child for interrupting her while she was on the phone. “Hey, not you. Your network … you’re the worst.”

On a side note, here’s Fox News’ Laura Ingraham asking Trump flat-out, “Why not just give the money? If you have it, why not just give it now?” to which Trump responded, “Because the Democrats can’t do it,” as if Democrats currently control anything literally.

Trump didn’t attack Ingraham, though, because she’s not a real journalist who asks real follow-up questions instead of letting him dodge the meat of what she tried to ask.

As for his attack on Scott, it’s worth noting that Trump did the same thing to another woman from ABC as he was departing for Dallas on Wednesday, telling her, “ABC fake News, one of the worst — you are the worst of all, in my opinion,” just because she asked him about Republicans who wouldn’t be attending his midterms last-ditch effort event.

And, of course, this is far from the first time Trump attacked Scott just for doing her job well.

During 2024’s National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago, Scott opened up questions to Trump by asking him about his past attacks on Black journalists, as well as his friendships with loud and proud white supremacists.

“You attack Black journalists, calling them ‘a loser,’ saying the questions that they asked are, quote, ‘stupid and racist,’” Scott said. “You’ve had dinner with a white supremacist at your Mar-a-Lago resort. So my question, sir, now that you are asking Black supporters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you, after you have used language like that?”

Trump’s whiney-ass response was, if nothing else, predictable.

“First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, a first question. You don’t even say ‘Hello, how are you.’ Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network,” Trump said, characterizing Scott as “nasty.”

Now, a lot of people thought Scott was being overly aggressive by coming straight out of the box with these questions, but what those people might not realize is that this was literally all the NABJ community was talking about leading up to Trump’s appearance: why is he invited when we know all he’s going to do is lie and berate Black people?

A normal president — one who is at least self-aware enough to understand how his antics are perceived by most of the public — would have understood he was going to be walking into an unfriendly room in that particular venue and would have been ready to answer hard questions like someone who is capable of leading. Trump doesn’t even try to hide what a tantrum-throwing baby he is when doing this very basic part of a politician’s job.

Y’all remember when Trump stormed out of his Meet the Press interview with Kristen Welker just because Welker had the nerve to ask him to back his constant election rigging claims with any semblance of actual evidence.

And y’all remember when he sat down with Norah O’Donnell, host of CBS News’ 60 Minutes, and O’Donnell asked him about the incident with the gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, who left a manifesto that referred to someone as a rapist and pedophile, without mentioning the president by name, which didn’t stop him from angrily hit-dog-hollering about how “I’m not a pedophile,” and “I’m not a rapist,” while insulting O’Donnell and her network.

And who could forget his “quiet, Piggy” moment?

And here’s Scott again, asking Trump what people actually wanted to know while he was laser-focused on his pet projects, like the reflective pool that only ended up reflecting his absurd, almost comical incompetence.

“Mr. President, you are here against the backdrop of the war in Iran. Why focus on all these projects right now, especially with gas prices soaring?” she asked, to which Trump eventually responded, “Such a stupid question that you asked,” before turning to the crowd and saying, “This is one of the worst reporters. She’s with ABC fake news, and she’s a horror show.”

These represent just a short list of examples of the many times Trump has attacked women in journalism, reserving his most vicious, indignant attacks for Black women in journalism such as NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor.

Trump is afraid of women, especially afraid of Black women, and he’s afraid of the press, largely because he’s afraid of his embarrassing reality, and he considers any question that reflects that reality to be a personal attack. This much is clear.

What isn’t clear is why none of the other reporters who bear in-person witness to these attacks on women in journalism are brave enough to stand in solidarity with their fellow journalists, if not for them, then in the name of the free press.

It’s cowardice, and they should all be ashamed, as should everyone who treats Trump and his presidency like any of it is normal.

SEE ALSO:

Surviving Trump: Trump Colors His Hair, Lies About 9/11, And More

Trump Defends 9/11 Lie, Offers $5K Bribe If Republicans Win Midterms