Police said Saturday that a man will face misdemeanor charges after he stormed into the press area at Donald Trump's rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before being surrounded by authorities and eventually subdued with a Taser while the former president spoke. The incident Friday came moments after Trump had criticized major media outlets for what he said was unfavorable coverage and had dismissed CNN as fawning for its interview Thursday with Vice President Kamala Harris, his election opponent, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. It was not immediately clear what motivated the man or whether he was a Trump supporter or critic, the AP reports.
The man made it over a barrier ringing the media area and began climbing the back side of a riser where television reporters and cameras were stationed, a video posted to social media by a reporter for CBS News shows. People near him tried to pull him off the riser and were quickly joined by police officers and sheriff's deputies. The crowd cheered as police took the man away, prompting Trump to say, "Is there anywhere that's more fun to be than a Trump rally?" Johnstown Police Chief Richard Pritchard confirmed to the AP on Saturday that the man was arrested, released, and will be formally charged next week. Pritchard said the man, whose identity will be disclosed when charges are filed, will face misdemeanors in municipal court for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and disrupting a public assembly.
Fierce criticism of the media is a standard part of Trump's rally speeches, and his supporters often react by turning toward the press section and booing; some use their middle finger to demonstrate their distaste for journalists. Moments before the man ventured into the media section, Trump had reprised his assertion that the media is a collective "enemy of the people." His campaign later tried to distance the Republican presidential nominee from the man, suggesting he was a Trump opponent, per the AP. "His aggression was focused on the president and towards the stage as he entered the press area," said campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez.
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