As someone who works toward a school and social climate where bullying is eliminated, I want to talk about comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he spoke admiringly of a Montana congressional candidate who “body-slammed” a reporter.
In May 2017, Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte physically attacked journalist Ben Jacobs, after Jacobs asked him a question about the Republican healthcare plan. At a rally this past Thursday, Oct. 18, Trump spoke admiringly of Gianforte’s actions, calling him “my guy.”
If Gianforte, Jacobs, and Trump were transplanted to a schoolyard, Trump would be placed in the critical role of “bystander” to an incident of physical bullying.
The role of bystander is especially important, both during and after the bullying. Through their reactions, bystanders can condemn, or encourage the bullying to continue. Bystanders can also give support to the target of bullying, and seek help on the target’s behalf.
Sadly, Trump has shown, over and over, that he is a “bully-in-chief.” So these remarks by Trump, celebrating Gianforte, came as no surprise.
What’s especially concerning is that Trump took an oath to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press.
(Here’s what the American Civil Liberties Union says about the First Amendment: “The freedom of the press, protected by the First Amendment, is critical to a democracy in which the government is accountable to the people. A free media functions as a watchdog that can investigate and report on government wrongdoing. It is also a vibrant marketplace of ideas, a vehicle for ordinary citizens to express themselves and gain exposure to a wide range of information and opinions.”)
Journalism plays a vital role to hold people in power, accountable, but Trump has consistently demonstrated contempt for the importance of journalism. Now Trump is celebrating, and perhaps even encouraging, violence against journalists.
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