CNN’s Brian Stelter played anthropologist last night and attended his first Trump rally in Charlotte, NC:
One of my 2016 media coverage regrets: I never went to a Trump rally. So this fall I planned on attending one. In this thread, I’ll share some of my observations from Charlotte pic.twitter.com/3fVQTKJUiq
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 26, 2018
But what he seems to have found is that many of the Trump supporters at the rally don’t really mean what they say when they shout things like, “CNN Sucks!”:
CNN correspondent @JeffZeleny and producer @betsy_klein are here. A loud “CNN SUCKS” chant broke out when reporters lined up for their 5pm live shots. Then a man walked over to me and said, “nothing personal.”
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 26, 2018
And he found “Yes, some are insulting, but many others are friendly”:
Lots of reporters have pointed this out, and I’m seeing it firsthand: Groups jeer CNN here, but individuals ask for selfies and say “we’re glad you’re here.” Yes, some are insulting, but many others are friendly. I’ve been having so many conversations, not much time to tweet.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 26, 2018
Although the did liken the experience to being in a zoo:
Fake news here in charlotte pic.twitter.com/QzsB75zwUo
— John F Marion (@johnfmarion) October 26, 2018
And even this guy with a shirt that has the president on Calvin’s body from the best comic stirp ever “Calvin and Hobbes” urinating on the CNN logo turned out to be nice to Stelter:
At Trump rally, Bill Williamson of Charlotte offers a thumbs up — and more — for the president’s, um, bashing of CNN. #ncpol @theobserver pic.twitter.com/s2QlNrSMXl
— Tim Funk (@timfunk) October 26, 2018
Twitchy reports,
More on this from Stelter’s newsletter:
My conversations with the crowd
One minute, it’s “You’re the fakest news!” The next minute, “We’re glad you’re here.”
Lots of reporters have pointed this out, and I saw it firsthand on Friday: Groups of Trump rallygoers jeer CNN, but then individuals ask for selfies and say they watch the network. Yes, some are insulting and intimidating, but many others are friendly. I had some in-depth conversations with attendees before Trump arrived.
Here’s another example: A loud “CNN SUCKS” chant broke out when reporters lined up for their 5 p.m. live shots. Then a man walked over to me and said, “nothing personal.” But others screamed “lyin’ Brian” and heckled me during a live shot.
THE TAKEAWAY: Some people seem to think the “enemy of the people” stuff is just a performance, kind of like pro wrestling. But others seem to really truly believe it.
Lesson learned, Brian: Don’t judge a Trump supporter by his shirt.
