In November 2015, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump referenced the Paris attacks by invoking the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York in 2001. The incident involved Trump mocking New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, whose hand and arm movement on his right side is impaired due to arthrogryposis. Trump claims he never mocked a disabled reporter, but his explanation does not add up. Trump insisted that, rather than mocking reporter Serge F. Kovaleski, who has a congenital joint condition called arthrogryposis that limits his movement, Trump did mimic the man’s oddly angled right hand while flailing his arms and shouting in a strange voice.
The shocking incident has dogged Trump on the campaign trail ever since, particularly because his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has made Trump’s mocking of the disabled a major point. Trump decided to do the responsible thing and mock Kovaleski’s congenitally disabled right arm at a rally in South Carolina on Tuesday. Trump continued to insist that he “never’mocked’ a disabled reporter” and that likely voters balked most at Trump mocking a reporter’s disability.
In response to criticism, Trump boasted about building wheelchair ramps and other forms of access for people with disabilities at a rally in Colorado Springs. Streep ripped Trump for his obvious mockery of a journalist’s physical disability in late 2015, and Trump responded by once again denying that he meant to make such a statement.
📹 Did Trump really mock reporter’s disability?
Raw video: GOP nominee has used similar impression of others on campaign trail.
📹 PROOF that Donald Trump did NOT mock a disabled reporter s disability
NUTTY LEFTY-LOONS lie about Trump and the disabled. Clinton friends spread malicious lie to let killers into country. They hate …
look at the last one and position of the hands and the duration of the episode. In addition, to not be aware of the relationship of those movements with the movement of the reporters disability, exposes an ignorance that is evident no matter what the intention was. A leader of the country, our best and brightest, should not be some one who is so unaware and out of touch with common decency.
He first talked about the bank president and used those mannerisms, Then he referred to a General that didn’t wanna talk about Isis, Then he was talking about Ted Cruz, when running against him and flailing his hands with the same mannerisms as before, and then finally in the last clip is when he referred to the writer of the said peace that happens to be handicap, but maybe didn’t even know the man was handicap, but regardless he did it so let’s just assume he knew . But still I don’t think that it’s really talking about his handicap, because that’s just what he does when making a point about someone that he thinks is being retarded . And I mean that not in the make fun of handicap people but of ignorant misinformed peopld, and especially when campaigning . But really between this and the Billy Bush incident if this kind of rhetoric is really why people need a safe place and a safety pin, and all that notmypresident thing . All I have to say is that I have said all that kind of stuff behind closed doors and one time in my life, about women . And I have also probably flailed my arms and acted retarded . And I’m sure if honest with ones self you would think about if you have ever done or acted that way . Now, ask yourself this . Have you, or, if in the position of Hillary Clinton ever would have erased 40 plus emails that where classified ? Dig deep inside for the truth about both those questions . Those where what helped me to come to a decision about who I was going to vote for .
So he pretends to be disabled when he mocks people, great! Why is the president mocking people in general haha? It’s one thing to defend yourself or attack lack of credibility PROFESSIONALLY, but this is not professional. If people at my job talked the way Trump does, they wouldn’t be taken seriously, they would be reported to HR or fired. It’s just pathetic. It’s like trying to win an argument against a child. This is how children talk to each other. I agree he is likely not making fun of his disability in this article, but it’s ironic that this show of “media deception” is coming from a source that is well… deceptive.
A skeptic would say that the mocking of the disabled reporter happened first and Trump continued to make the same silly gestures while mocking other people at later dates to show that he does this all the time and that these clips were put together in reverse timeline to try and make it look like he has always been doing this. If you could post the dates these clips were originally recorded over each clip, then there would be absolutely no room for skepticism.
All this compilation shows is that Trump STILL uses the ‘spastic’ impression that all bullies used in the 70s to mock people. The insult that went along with the gestures he is using was ‘he’s a right spaz’ meaning spastic. FYI, Spasticity is generally caused by damage or disruption to the area of the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for controlling muscle and stretch reflexes. These disruptions can be due to an imbalance in the signals sent to the muscles, causing them to lock in place. Which is where he is getting his clenched up arms thing from. ANYONE who grew up in the 70s knows EXACTLY what this mockery is based upon. People with brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis can all suffer varying degrees of these muscle spasms. Most of us learned how insulting that was to the disabled, evolved, and stopped doing ‘spaz’ impressions. Your man Trump has not. And it is also VERY clear that his impression of the ACTUALLY disabled guy is the worst. The fact that he thinks it is OK to mock him is just shameful. This man does not know the meaning of te word ‘Presidential’, he is a moron, a school bully. What an embarrassment. It’s like Biff from Back to the Future is President😳 So whilst y’all want to try to find an excuse for your Dear Leader, you just proved he HABITUALLY mocks the disabled with these impressions. Well done 👍
Those gestures are not all the same, the last is clearly more specific. And Trump knew the reporter on a first name basis (Serge Kovaleski – look him up). If he had any integrity, he wouldn’t have curled his hands the way he did. If at this point you still think Trump is a decent human, you’ve got to be in denial. You can still like him, but at least be honest.
I’m sorry but he clearly mocked the guy. Trump said in his own words, and I quote “YOU SHOULD SEE THIS GUY” end quote. Now someone doesn’t use that phrase unless they’ve bare witness to the statement they’re about to make. It amazes me how even when trump is bluntly telling you that he knows who the guy was before he went on to mocking him, you trump supporters still draw up your own conclusion to defend him. This is why America is so deluded and lost because people blind to the truth even when it smack you right in the face. Trump has you guys right in the palm of his hands how he knew he would.
I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s really just whatever u want to see lol… if u already hate trump and think that everything he does is awful ur gonna see him doing the mocking because the reporter is disabled… if u love everything he does and think he’s a great president then you’ll see he’s not mocking this guy he just does that. I’m pretty neutral when it comes to trump so I don’t really see what he did as very wrong but I also don’t think the gesture is completely off the hook lol
I don’t know. The last one was WAY worse. He really did it up with the limp wrist and even did the mocking voice that many disabled people have. I think you came to the conclusion first then went back looking for evidence to support it–any motion remotely close to this. There are so many better ways to indicate nervousness or hesitation without doing these insensitive movements and noises.
Sorry, Fox News, but what Trump does with his impersonation of the reporter starting at 0:54 (actual hand motions at 1:03–1:05 — watch this and all hand motions below at 0.5× or even 0.25× speed and see for yourselves) is very different from all of the others you showed: • Bank regulators (hand motion at 0:14–0:15) — one hand, hand flops loosely back and forth on the wrist but with fingers wiggling and not held stiff • Generals “O-o-o-o-oh, ISIS is very tough.” (hand motion at 0:24–0:26) — both hands, very loose waving motion with hands bent back on the wrists, more like “jazz hands” and ends with hands held still for about a second • Senator Ted Cruz “Uh-uh-uh-uh, I don’ wanna talk about waterboarding.” (hand motion at 0:45–0:47) — both hands, again flopping back and forth on the wrists (much more bent back on the wrists instead of forward), very loose waving motion, fingers splayed out, arms moving up and down briefly • The disabled reporter (again, actual hand motions at 1:03–1:05) — both hands, bent mostly forward at the wrist, only rarely flopping back and then only to about parallel with the forearms instead of back at the wrists like the others. Fingers aren’t splayed out and don’t move much relative to the hands like he does with the others but rather are mostly stiff. Right arm moves up and is held there while left arm moves down, then the two change places after about ¾ second — like the typical caricature of spastic hand/arm movements. There’s also the fact of what he actually said immediately before those motions (starting at 1:01): “Now the poor guy— you gotta see this guy…” — this indicates that the motions he’s making are specifically about the reporter in ways that someone could see.
I am known to be the most unbiased person you ever met, he was not mocking anyone, thats just the way he gestures, anyone who sees this differently is clearly a negative person who looks at the glass half empty rather then half full….and for the record im am not a republican nor did i vote for Pres Trump, and it really irks me that people see things the way they want rather then what it is, very very sad.. we’re American for god sake cant we be happy enough with that??
Look at the dates of the clips. All but the most “minor” are after the speech about the reporter. It is possible that Trump realized that he went over the top and then used the gestures in subsequent speeches to be able to make the claim that “he always does that.” Not sure why Fox didn’t put the clips in chronological order. (And, btw, Trump claims he never met Kovaleski. This has been well fact-checked. They met many times face-to-face, including in Trump’s office.)
I had faith that him mocking the disabled reporter was fake news, but the hand motions and the exaggerated ridiculous tone of talking is extended a LOT longer than the other articles of him complaining about people. It looks like he thought it would be a funny joke but thought better of it. I get the sense of humor, but it’s not so cool to mock people like that when you’re the president and the whole country, including all the disabled people, are trying to look up to you.
Interesting, even having changed my mind to Trump since 2016 and voting green (I was a Bernie guy in 2016) I always had bought the MSM spin on this mocking the reporter story. Seeing him making the same types of movements about other people gives more context, doubtful he even knew the reporter had a disability. I read tons of crap and don’t know anything about who wrote them most of the time, without doing research.
Fox News – My late mother had a disability. I witnessed many times how she was treated because of it. And I heard the heartbreaking stories of what she endured from insensitive people. I know when someone is mocking someone when I see it. Donald Trump was mocking this reporter’s disability. Stop making excuses for this immature, insensitive person.
He lifts his arms a little bit when talking about everyone else meanwhile while talking about a disabled man where he literally has a disability that makes him not able to control the movement of his arms he flares his arms around. Even if he didn’t mean to do this (which I still believe he did because of the difference of how much he flared his arms every other time you can physically see the difference between 0:14 0:24 and 1:03 ) he’s an actual idiot for not seeing how insensitive this looked
More than likely he did, because that’s the sort of ignorant thing that Trump would do. However, what Trump and his campaign team should maybe remember is that there’s only really one Donald Trump and how many people do you think there are in the disabled category living in the United States of America who are entitled to vote in the Presidential Election?🥴😜
First few were simply body language depicting indecision, much like a brain fart. The one at 1:05 clearly shows that the president is brave enough to treat the disabled reporter just the same as everyone else, and is therefore being the opposite of discriminatory. This man is the real deal people, be thankful you have him. I’m thankful our government can include his opinion over Brexit, the man is America’s Churchill, and if people in the US can just temper their cynicism for five seconds, they might just see it, and realise what they (you), have. So what if the man treads on toes? So what if he can sit in an ambiance of awkwardness next to a foreign leader he loathes? So what if he mentioned some lady parts on a bus to a mate? Isn’t he just breathing fresh air into the stale room of those which have preceded him.. At least this man will speak his mind and say it as he see’s it without fear. He’s the sheriff, he’ll spit on your boot and look you dead in the eye. Support this man, and lose him at your peril.
The last one looks different from the ones before it, it does not seem the same gesture. For all we know, he probably didn’t use it to mock the reporter’s disability, I’m just saying what it looks like to me. More flailing of the hands than the other times. Hands were limp too, just like when someone makes fun of the disabled. His hands weren’t limp in the other three instances. Could just be a coincidence though.
He says “you outta see this guy” about the reporter and goes on to jerk and act like he has a neurological condition. So, what you all are excusing is, yes, him mocking the reporter and mocking everyone else he’s talking about. What is he really doing and why in this montage? He’s vomiting all his petty grievances because he’s a thin-skinned, vain, petty bully. And everyone continues to blindly excuse and enable a felon-sexual abuser. Cult.
I hold it against Trump for doing and saying what he said here. He did mock this man, no doubts in my mind. Although didn’t mention the reporter by name in his speech, Trump knows the man and personally. The reporter ( according to what he told “Snoops”, had many interviews with Trump in the late 1980’s and on into the 90’s, and referred to each other on a first name basses. The reporter named “Serge Kovaleski”, stated to Snoops” that he and Trump had spoke often, were on a first name basses, and he had reported news on Trump quite often during those years. Trump both knew of him, and things had become quite friendly between the two of them. I’m inclined to believe the reporter, way over Trump, who lies more than he speaks the truth. No debunking what was said here. Trump knew what he was doing, and spoke about. He mocked the man, plain and simple.. Check “Snoops” for the correct info.
People with disabilities is not funny. Whether they were born with it or diagnosed it in their later age. People are different. And it’s not funny and do not call them a Retarded Animal. That is mean and disrespectful to them. And even criticizing of what they did was wrong. People have different moods and actions and movements. Everyone is different and No one is perfect. So if anyone else having anything not nice to say ( towards the mental people) then don’t say it at all. keep your judgment and opinions to yourself. ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼😠😠😠😠😠😡😡
It doesn’t matter if he was mocking a disability or not, what matter is the crass attitude and the gestual unfit for someone at such a position. It’s not the hollier than thou that i want, but at least some classe decency AND real wit. If you lower the standard that much for a presidential position, what will it be for the average people and lower? Why would you want to have someone at the same standard as yourself as a president? Why not want the best and the smartest. Face it, Trump isn’t equiped to actually deal with other world leaders, he is so far behind they play him like a book. America is only making ennemies with him.
There’s way too much political drama in America anymore. That’s why I’m considering to move to a new country when I’m older. Don’t get me wrong, I love America. But I can’t get into this mess with politics. Back in other countries, EVERYBODY respects their rulers. Here, there ALWAYS has to be a fight.
He only did it a specific drastic way in 2 of the 4 scattered clips. The two prior to the reporter with a disability can be excused as a normal “tick” or emote he does and it obviously even varies in these two versions. Now on the one after the reporter, I’ve never seen Cruz move like that. That’s the only other example you give of trump doing it where it can be viewed as making fun of a disability but you obviously wouldn’t cause Cruz don’t have one and again that’s the last and latest one. The following year after he first does the disability motion. Clearly to cover for it. I mean if you want to cry fake news, can it go both ways?
So as long as he’s not making fun of a disabled person it’s ok for him to act like an idiot and mock anyone using gestures that emulate a handicapped person? If someone on a daytime show or a news station behaved like this they would be forced to apologize or even fired. But yeah I get it, CNN put a dark light to the clip. Well played Fox.
I was a huge Trump supporter, he had my vote and the moment I saw him make fun of a someone who has a disability I was done. As a father of a disabled son who has spent 20 yrs defending my son from people who make fun of him everyday it is unforgivable for anyone let alone a world symbol of character as a president to make fun of my son. Come walk one day in my shoes or rather my son’s shoes and see what he has to experience.
Errrr… OK. We’re clearly through the looking glass here. The last clip – Trump starts with “You want to see this poor guy now” and then does a WAY more exaggerated 2 handed movement and a voice – clearly mimicking the reporter in question. The only surprise here is that anyone actually buys this spin.