Shock as Trump ‘lunges and growls’ at female reporter in tense late-night incident
President Donald Trump left several critics stunned Friday morning after he was captured on video aggressively snapping at ABC News’ Rachel Scott.
Following the second night of the RNC midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, Trump briefly spoke with reporters before boarding Air Force One at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. He was asked by Scott about his recent promise to award Americans with $5,000 checks should Republicans maintain their congressional majority, a promise some critics have argued may run afoul of federal law.
“Mr. President, on the checks, the U.S. is still $40 trillion in debt — if your economic policies are working, why do you need an incentive for people to turn out to vote?” Scott asked.
Trump insisted that he didn’t promise Americans $5,000 checks for “turning out the vote,” but instead as a “reward for people having to put up with five and four years of a horrible situation caused by [former President Joe] Biden.”
“They had to put up with the four years, and that carried on for at least a half of a year,” Trump said.
“Just a horrible thing that Biden did to our country, and that’s not only just from an economic standpoint; you look at the border, you look at the crime, and now we’ve got it under control, but what a period of time. It’s almost a reward for the people having to put up with Biden’s policies.”
Scott immediately pushed back, telling Trump that he had previously floated tariff rebate checks to Americans that never materialized.
“Not you,” Trump said before leaning in aggressively toward Scott with an angry expression. “Hey! Not you. Your network, and you, you’re the worst.”
Trump’s behavior was widely condemned by countless critics, including independent journalist Aaron Rupar, who shared a video of the encounter showing Trump as he “lunges toward and growls at a reporter.”
Journalist Wajahat Ali called Trump “a freak” after viewing video of the incident, and prominent liberal commentator Jo Carducci wrote “Holy f------ s---” in response.
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the progressive media company MeidasTouch, issued Trump a scathing rebuke for his behavior.
“Look at this loathsome repulsive creature yelling at a reporter,” Filipkowski wrote Friday in a social media post on X to his more than 1 million followers. “In addition to the fact that he’s the worst president in US history, he’s one of the worst human beings on planet earth. His supporters have a very serious defect in their characters.”
Q: On the checks, we have $40 trillion in debt. If your economic policies are working, why do you need an incentive for people to turn out to vote?
TRUMP: I'm doing it as a reward for people having to put up for five years and four years of a horrible situation caused by Biden… pic.twitter.com/Iq4LpS1pNt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2026