Author's note: This morning you received a column from me reflecting on news reports that a pro-Trump rally attendee in Johnstown, Pennsylvania attempted to hop a barrier and assault members of the press.
From that report, and accompanying video that appeared to confirm it, I observed how frightening it was that the man carried out his attack amid a recitation by Trump of a favorite story of his about an angel supposedly appearing in the form of two American flags just as he dodged a would-be assassin’s bullet. The man, I speculated, may have believed Trump was carrying out God’s will, and that the media was standing in his way.
I also noted the fact that news reports of the event noted that the attempted assault came after a rant against the media, but did not mention the story about the angel. I argued that this symbolized how the media falls short in grasping just how terrifying the worshipful nature of Trump’s support has become.
I also complained about how few American news outlets reported on the event. I thereby concluded that both the assault, and the failure of the media to take it seriously, was an exemplary symbol of this particular moment in American politics.
I was wrong! It turns out I based my interpretation on incorrect, incomplete, and misleading accounts of what had actually taken place. Reports now indicate that the arrested man was attempting to hang an anti-Trump banner from the press pen.
I’ve asked TAP editor David Dayen to take down the story. I’m grateful to him for doing so.
One part of it, to be sure, was correct, and disturbing: Donald Trump thought the man was trying to assault the press, and uttered the words “No, no, he’s one of ours,” in apparent encouragement of that would-be assault. But I was errant in mocking the Associated Press for reporting, “It was not immediately clear what motivated the man or whether he was a Trump supporter or critic”; and in calling Trump campaign advisor Danielle Alvarez a liar for stating, “His aggression was focused on the president and towards the stage as he entered the press area.”
I apologize to the AP and to Ms. Alvarez.
I apologize to you, too, my readers. I cherish the trust you repose in me, and am terribly sorry for projecting what I presumed to be true, based in my broader narrative about what’s going on in America, instead of hanging back, keeping cool, and waiting for more facts to develop before going off half-cocked. The world’s already plenty scary enough without stoking any extra fear. Accuracy has to come first.
Onward.
It’s Project 2025 Summer here at The Infernal Triangle! I’m studying the whole thing for a series of columns. If you want to share your expertise on one of the federal departments the Heritage Foundation wants to weaponize or gut, contact me at infernaltriangle@prospect.org.
