ABC News correspondent appears to claim ‘government tried to kill’ Trump in viral clip – Washington Examiner
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“We have this [unintelligible], this morning, the police bodycam footage showing the frantic seconds after the government tried to kill the former President Trump,” Thomas continued. “You see them racing to the Allentown, Pennsylvania, rally where the former president was doing a rally, then we see them make a left turn as he was killed by a sniper.”
However, it appears that Thomas misspoke and was likely intending to say “the gunman” instead of “the government” when describing the shooting incident. The video clip quickly went viral, with many viewers questioning the accuracy of Thomas’ statement.
ABC News has not released a statement regarding the incident or offered any clarification on what Thomas meant to say during the broadcast.
As of now, it remains unclear if Thomas will address the viral clip or issue a correction for his statement on air.
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ABC News correspondent Pierre Thomas was top trending on X Wednesday afternoon when he appeared to state during a televised report that “the government tried to kill” former President Donald Trump when discussing the recent assassination attempt at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.
The statement by Thomas came Wednesday when he was discussing newly obtained body camera footage of the shooting that showed law enforcement making their way to the shooter’s location after he was killed by a sniper.
“Our audience is about to see the frantic seconds in the moments after the government tried to kill former President Trump,” Thomas appeared to have said on ABC News’s Good Morning America. “It’s all caught on police bodycam video.”
Thomas’s discussion of the footage was made the same day FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in Congress, during which he revealed that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the identified Trump shooter, had looked up how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from President John F. Kennedy when he shot and killed him in 1963. Crooks’s internet search was conducted on July 6, the same day Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was announced.
The moment had many on social media questioning what they heard.
“Listen to ABC News correspondent Pierre Thomas make the Freudian slip of the CENTURY…
“Our audience is about to see the frantic seconds in the moments after the GOVERNMENT tried to kill Former President Trump,” one user wrote.
Listen to ABC News correspondent Pierre Thomas make the Freudian slip of the CENTURY…😳😳😳
“Our audience is about to see the frantic seconds in the moments after the GOVERNMENT tried to kill Former President Trump.”https://t.co/8UL3WOiv0C
— Yadira Bornacelli (@Yadirabornaceli) July 24, 2024
“Listen to this carefully. Chief Justice Correspondent for ABC, Pierre Thomas, just admitted to gunmen (plural – second shooter) or govment. I cannot make out…but either way…did he confirm there is a 2nd shooter OR that the Biden government tried to take out Trump?” another user questioned.
Listen to this carefully.
Chief Justice Correspondent for ABC, Pierre Thomas, just admitted to gunmen (plural – second shooter) or govment.
I cannot make out…but either way…did he confirm there is a 2nd shooter OR that the Biden government tried to take out Trump? pic.twitter.com/kAaxzdUwGV
— Santa Surfing (@SantaSurfing) July 24, 2024
The Washington Examiner contacted ABC News for comment.
On Tuesday, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her top position at the agency. Cheatle had testified in Congress the day prior, during which she was grilled by lawmakers for allowing the shooter to get in range of the former president.
Trump plans to shift his campaign rallies to indoor settings, two sources familiar with the operations of Trump’s campaign acknowledged. While Trump has repeatedly held rallies at outdoor venues, security concerns have resulted in the move to indoor venues.