Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump sparked yet another controversy by ridiculing a journalist who suffers from a joint condition that affects his ability to move his arms.
Advertisement
A spokesperson for The Times called Trump’s actions “outrageous”, while Kovelski said he wasn’t surprised to see the party’s front-runner stoop to a new low.
From his statement, Trump said he had no idea who Serge Kovalski [sic] is, what he looks like or his level of intelligence.
“Donald and I were on a first-name basis for years”, Kovaleski said in an interview with The Times.
Trump went on say that he doesn’t take his imitation back, since he says he was not imitating a disability but a groveling reporter.
Donald Trump stated he could not have been making fun fun of a reporter’s disability ’cause he doesn’t know the person.
“I didn’t know him, it’s possible, probable that I met him somewhere along the line, but I deal with reporters every day”, Trump told the crowd. “Uhh I don’t know what I said”. Trump also expressed familiarity with Kovaleski in the same SC speech where he mocked the reporter, calling him a “nice reporter” before launching into his impression.
Trump defended what he says are his recollections by citing an article by Kovaleski who was working at the time for The Washington Post.
Trump, in an uncharacteristically lengthy statement posted on Twitter, claimed he does not know Kovaleski and did not intend to mock his disability.
In an interview for the Times, Kovaleski said he was certain Trump remembers him from his days covering the real estate developer for the New York Daily News in the 1980s.
JUST WHEN you think Donald Trump’s campaign could not possibly become more loathsome, the billionaire bully proves you wrong again.
It began with Trump claiming to have seen on thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating on TV after the 9/11 attacks, a suggestion that has been widely debunked.
Speaking to CNN about the article, Kovaleski clarified, “We did a lot of shoe leather reporting in and around Jersey City and talked to a lot of residents and officials for the broader story”.
Serge Kovaleski, now a New York Times reporter, said he closely covered Trump’s launch of an airline in 1989. “If I did know, I would definitely not say anything about his appearance”. Ah, I don’t remember what I said!
“I certainly do not remember anyone saying that thousands or even hundreds of people were celebrating”, Kovaleski said.
It socially unacceptable to mock someone’s disability as part of the national political discourse, said Jay Ruderman from Ruderman Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities to have education and employment.
Advertisement
At the Florida rally today, Trump continued to insist that he was right about cheering Muslims in New Jersey, adding, “Everybody admits worldwide the Muslims were absolutely going wild”.
