Donald Trump Jr. and other conservatives are blasting The Hill for an article about maskless supporters at a North Carolina rally for the president, while the photo, which was quickly replaced, showed people that were masked-up.
Trump and his supporters “gathered without masks in North Carolina despite request from local GOP official,” The Hill tweeted on Wednesday. Yet, the accompanying image did not quite fit the narrative. While President Donald Trump himself is seen not wearing a mask, it appears almost every single person behind him in the crowd is.
“Literally all you have to do is zoom in on the picture to realize that everyone gathered in the stands is wearing a mask,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted in reaction. “I was able to do it on my iPhone in two seconds! I guess ‘journalists’ are not capable of basic observation, they just blindly run with the narrative.”
I counted two people not wearing masks in this entire group, @thehill. https://t.co/5atkSeeHj5pic.twitter.com/dZHXXveTx8
Maybe I’m tripping but it looks like every single person in this crowd is wearing a mask. I understand many times headlines and stories about Trump and his supporters are pre-written based on assumptions or (media) narratives rather than truth. But this is so egregious its nuts. https://t.co/pnLeHj2FUY
JUST IN: Reporters at @thehill have no idea how to use the zoom feature on their phones. https://t.co/zYReCyEjo9pic.twitter.com/EQrLA5h4zL
The Hill quickly replaced the original photo with one showing Trump supporters not wearing masks which suited the narrative of their tweet better — but it was too late, as many had already grabbed a screenshot of the original image and used it to slam the outlet for putting narrative above facts.
Yet, while The Hill inexplicably chose a photo showing almost all supporters wearing masks, their tweet about the rally attracting maskless Trump fans was not in itself entirely false. Other images from the event, including the one used in the updated tweet, do show many in the crowd not wearing masks — a trend which has earned Trump criticism.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ‘CBS This Morning’ that seeing people unmasked at the president’s rallies is frustrating.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) similarly criticized the lack of “social distancing” and mask-wearing at Trump’s events and claimed he is creating “prime conditions” for the spread of Covid-19. The president is expected to hold another rally in Michigan on Thursday.
“Can you not have guidelines?” @morningmika suggests to Michigan’s @GovWhitmer that restrictions should be imposed on Trump rallies. pic.twitter.com/uOMbxaQxfw
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