A statement made by Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles during a recent town hall event is going viral online after he shared an unverified claim involving a journalist who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night. The high-profile gala, which was held at the Washington Hilton, was abruptly cut short following reports of a shooting incident.
Speaking to students at Belmont University on Monday, Ogles said that when he and others in attendance were taking cover during the chaos, a reporter allegedly made a disturbing remark about Trump. “There was a reporter in the room who was under a table, and when the shots went off and everybody’s hiding, she said, ‘I hope they killed the orange MF,’” the congressman said in a video shared to X. “[She] was hoping that when she stood up, the president of the United States would be dead.”
Ogles condemned the press that push such rhetoric, saying it would be wrong no matter who the target is or the context in which it is made. However, he did not provide the name of the reporter or any evidence to support the claim.
Public Reaction to the Tennessee Congressman’s Claim
The clip was shared by investigative reporter @LyndenBlake, and in the comments, netizens responded with strong criticism. One person said, “This person needs to be arrested. That is not a journalist. That is a Dem activist.” Another wrote, “That’s called a felon n should be dragged to jail.” A third commented, “Publicly calling for someone’s murder should be disqualifying for most occupations,” while a fourth added, “We’re tired of all this nonsense…TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT.”
Some also called for the journalist to be identified. “Who was it? She needs to be outed and fired,” one comment read. Another said, “Somebody needs to name her so she is never in the White House Press room.” Someone else remarked, “What’s the point of making a statement like this and not drop a name. Call the reporter out!”
A few other people, however, questioned the accuracy of the account. “If you have no actual proof, recording or otherwise it’s just hyperbole and nonsense. Not even worth a post,” one X user wrote. A different netizen claimed, “He’s just trying to get a little attention to himself.” Another added, “He won’t name her because he made it up. When gunfire is going on around you, people are terrified and confused and their adrenaline is surging, somebody in that situation is just randomly going to say something like that?”
As of now, the video has amassed over 500,000 views, with many doing their own groundwork to identify the alleged reporter.
