Washington Post reporter apologizes to Trump over crowd tweet as president demands firing
Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel has apologized for tweeting a photograph of an empty auditorium taken before Donald Trump’s rally in Pensacola, Florida Friday. The president responded by calling for Weigel to be fired.
Weigel shared a photo of Trump’s rally taken before it had started, tweeting, “packed to the rafters,” in an apparent taunt aimed at the president Saturday. He posted the tweet in response to one of Trump’s own tweets, in which the president said the “arena was packed to the rafters, the crowd was loud, loving and really smart.”
GREAT EVENING last night in Pensacola, Florida. Arena was packed to the rafters, the crowd was loud, loving and really smart. They definitely get what’s going on. Thank you Pensacola!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
Of course, Trump being Trump, he tweeted about Weigel’s tweet, tagging both the journalist and the Washington Post and demanding an apology from “FAKE NEWS WaPo!”
.@DaveWeigel@WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
Thank you for sharing your video @usarocks_c 🇺🇸 She's an awesome patriot, #FollowHer The #TrumpRally was packed & people had to be turned away. #TrumpsArmy#MAGA#ThingsITrustMoreThanFoxNewspic.twitter.com/opSL88p9PA
— Sara (@skb_sara) December 9, 2017
Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner. https://t.co/fQY7GMNSaD
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017
Weigel responded with an apology, and explained he “was confused by the image of you [Trump] walking in the bottom right corner,” and that he deleted it as soon as he was informed of the mistake.
It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out.Everything I say on Twitter is a joke, except what I say about @swin24. https://t.co/tI7SQnpoN9
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017
He further explained his tweet in an exchange with another user, writing, “It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out.”
And call him out Trump did. He later tweeted “@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired.”
Trump instructed Spicer to lie about crowd sizes at his inauguration. Weigel deleted his crowd size tweet once told it was an error, & before Trump called attention to it.
— Taniel (@Taniel) December 9, 2017
An honest mistake??? He posted the photo because he took joy in what he thought was a near empty arena. He couldn't wait to do it! Reporters are expected to vet their sources but the left #FakeNewsMedia doesn't do that. They probably never did.
— 🇺🇸 Dawn Rising 🇺🇸🏆🎗 (@DawnRising2) December 10, 2017
He made a mistake, retracted & apologized. Just because you never admit your mistakes & lies doesn’t mean they’re not happening. https://t.co/WCK70xAqz3
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) December 9, 2017
By including Dave Weigel’s @ handle, the president’s statement is inviting followers to gang up on a reporter https://t.co/3C5jKDvFP5
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 9, 2017
More Fake News designed to embarrass the @realDonaldTrump , personal account or not. At least this reporter had the huevos 🥚🥚to make any apology, so I won’t make an omelette just yet 🍳.
— Just One Voice (@JustOneVoice3) December 10, 2017
Trump instructed Spicer to lie about crowd sizes at his inauguration. Weigel deleted his crowd size tweet once told it was an error, & before Trump called attention to it.
— Taniel (@Taniel) December 9, 2017
“Dave Weigel relied on an inaccurate image in tweeting about President Trump’s rally in Pensacola,” The Washington Post said in a statement. "When others pointed out the mistake to Weigel, he quickly deleted the tweet. And when he was later addressed by the president on Twitter, he promptly apologized for it.”
Weigel formerly resigned from the Post in 2010, after leaked online messages showed him disparaging Republicans and commentators. He was rehired in 2015.
Trump regularly tweets against the mainstream media for their inaccurate reporting. Earlier Saturday, he directed posts at ABC and CNN for their erroneous reporting on the Russian investigation this week. He has also called on other journalists to be fired, such as ESPN host Jemele Hill.
Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his “mistake”). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
CNN’S slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
