Donald Trump's Offensive Impression of a Disabled Reporter Is Pissing Off the Internet
During a speech Tuesday in South Carolina, business tycoon and presidential hopeful Donald Trump did an impression of a disabled New York Times reporter that many are calling highly offensive. The journalist Trump mocked, Serge Kovaleski, now writes for the Times but in 2001 wrote a story for the Washington Post about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States that Trump disagreed with. Many people were none too pleased with Trump's impression of the reporter.
Trump's exact words, per the footage below, were: "Now the poor guy [Kovaleski], you ought to see the guy, 'Uh I don't know what I said. I don't remember,'" Trump told the crowd in South Carolina while making gestures with his arms that look like he's making fun of Kovaleski's disability. Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a rare musculoskeletal disorder that restricts his arms' range of movement.
"He's going, 'I don't remember. Maybe that's what I said," Trump said. According to Politico, a representative for the New York Times said, "We think it's outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters."
Source: YouTube
As the incident gained attention from the media, Trump defended his actions via Twitter claiming he didn't know Kovaleski "or what he looks like." According to Trump, he was "showing a person groveling to take back a statement made long ago."
I do not know the reporter for the @nytimes, or what he looks like. I was showing a person groveling to take back a statement made long ago!
The failing @nytimes should focus on fair and balanced reporting rather than constant hit jobs on me. Yesterday 3 boring articles, today2!
pic.twitter.com/T5JBFXOz3F
But users on Twitter weren't buying Trump's claim that he didn't intend to belittle the journalist:
If Donald Trump were a real man, he'd own up to having made fun of Kovaleski. Instead, he's a liar and a coward.
"You've got to see this guy" Donald Trump denies mocking reporter's disability http://cnnmon.ie/1QIznLZ via @CNNMoney
Donald Trump, who says he has no idea who Serge Kovaleski is, used to be on a first-name basis with Serge Kovaleski. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/us/politics/donald-trump-says-his-mocking-of-new-york-times-reporter-was-misread.html?_r=0 ...
Donald Trump goes jawdroppingly over the line in mocking the handicap of a NYT reporter. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-mocks-new-york-times-reporter-serge-kovaleski-216219 ... pic.twitter.com/VeZuQMJY1M
The measure of men. Know this: Serge Kovaleski, aka @sergenyt, is a journalistic rock star and one great colleague. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-mocks-new-york-times-reporter-serge-kovaleski-216219 ...
Donald Trump is now engaging in behavior that would disqualify a candidate running for president of student council http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-mocks-new-york-times-reporter-serge-kovaleski-216219 ...
It horrifies me as someone who still has a partial disability that this man is taken seriously by people. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-mocks-new-york-times-reporter-serge-kovaleski-216219 ...
Trump managed to offend Muslims, Blacks, and now people with disabilities http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-mocks-new-york-times-reporter-serge-kovaleski-216219 ...
Others pointed out that Trump has tread this ground before. In July, Trump made a remark about columnist Charles Krauthammer, who currently works for the Washington Post, has been critical of the Republican candidate and who is also paralyzed from the waist down.
"I went out, I made a fortune, a big fortune, a tremendous fortune. ... Then I get called by a guy that can't buy a pair of pants, I get called names?" Trump told NBC's Katy Tur, according to Huffington Post, adding that Krauthammer was a "loser" who "just sits there."
Here's a link to the article Kovaleski wrote for the Washington Post on Sept. 18, 2001.