After taking part in peaceful protests in Washington, D.C. Saturday, supporters of President Trump were attacked by Antifa terrorists and Black Lives Matter extremists in pockets around the city. Some Trump supporters defended themselves. But come Sunday morning, the media were out in force, claiming the MAGA marchers were the ones responsible for the violence against so-called “anti-Trump demonstrators.”
“D.C. demonstrations. The clashes in Washington. Thousands of Trump supporters rally ahead of tomorrow's Electoral College vote,” co-anchor Whit Johnson announced in the opening tease to Good Morning America.
Later on in the program, co-anchor Eva Pilgrim teamed up with White House correspondent Rachel Scott to further blame Trump supporters for the violence:
EVA PILGRIM: Now to politics. Tomorrow, the Electoral College takes the formal constitutionally required step of electing a new president. But overnight, thousands of people took to the streets of Washington, D.C. to support the President's attempts to block Joe Biden's election.
For the latest, let's go to ABC's Rachel Scott in D.C. Good morning Rachel.
RACHEL SCOTT: Eva, good morning. And those demonstrations turning violent overnight. The Electoral College is now just 24 hours away from officially cementing Joe Biden's victory, and will bookend a weeks-long legal effort by the President that has been rejected by state and federal judges and even the Supreme Court.
Scott kept up the campaign against those Trump supporters during the video portion of her segment.
“Overnight, tense clashes in Washington as thousands of Trump supporters rallied ahead of the Electoral College vote,” she said. “Violence erupting between pro and anti-Trump demonstrators. Leading to dozens of arrests.”
Giving zero context as to what happened, Scott proceeded to suggest that Trump supporters were responsible for attacking a black female police officer and four stabbings:
Here a female officer being assisted as she limps away from the protest zone. Four people reportedly stabbed. Earlier in the day, demonstrators marched from the White House to the Supreme Court, calling for the election results to be overturned.
Meanwhile, over on NBC’s Sunday Today, correspondent Garrett Haake put a similar spin on the violence.
“And overnight, the remnants of that pro-Trump demonstration here in Washington turning violent. D.C. police say four people were stabbed. More than 20 arrested when pro and anti-Trump demonstrators clashed in different parts of the district last night,” he told anchor Willie Geist.
At no point did either ABC or NBC state which groups the “anti-Trump demonstrators” associated with nor their actions.
But our friends over at the Washington Examiner provided more honest reporting, bringing together multiple videos of this violence on the ground. “Leftist agitators punch and shoot fireworks at Trump supporters following DC rally," social media producer Andrew Mark Miller wrote in his headline.
Reporting: “Clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters associated with antifa and Black Lives Matter began breaking out as night fell on Saturday after multiple pro-Trump rallies in the nation’s capital throughout the day.”
“In another incident around the same time, Black Lives Matter activists reportedly shot fireworks at a group of Trump supporters that included members of the pro-Trump group Proud Boys,” Miller added.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
December 13, 2020
8:01:03 a.m. Eastern [Opening tease]WHIT JOHNSON: D.C. demonstrations. The clashes in Washington. Thousands of Trump supporters rally ahead of tomorrow's Electoral College vote. President Trump reacting to the Supreme Court's new rejection.
(…)
8:12:58 a.m. Eastern
EVA PILGRIM: Now to politics. Tomorrow, the Electoral College takes the formal constitutionally required step of electing a new president. But overnight, thousands of people took to the streets of Washington, D.C. to support the President's attempts to block Joe Biden's election.
For the latest, let's go to ABC's Rachel Scott in D.C. Good morning Rachel.
RACHEL SCOTT: Eva, good morning. And those demonstrations turning violent overnight. The Electoral College is now just 24 hours away from officially cementing Joe Biden's victory, and will bookend a weeks-long legal effort by the President that has been rejected by state and federal judges and even the Supreme Court.
[Cuts to video]
Overnight, tense clashes in Washington as thousands of Trump supporters rallied ahead of the Electoral College vote. Violence erupting between pro and anti-Trump demonstrators. Leading to dozens of arrests. Here a female officer being assisted as she limps away from the protest zone. Four people reportedly stabbed. Earlier in the day, demonstrators marched from the White House to the Supreme Court, calling for the election results to be overturned.
(…)
NBC’s Sunday Today
December 13, 2020
8:07:09 a.m. Eastern(…)
GARRETT HAAKE: Unconvinced of Mr. Trump's defeat, thousands of his supporters rallied in Washington, the president flying over the crowd in Marine One on his way to the football game.
(…)
HAAKE: And overnight, the remnants of that pro-Trump demonstration here in Washington turning violent. D.C. police say four people were stabbed. More than 20 arrested when pro and anti-Trump demonstrators clashed in different parts of the district last night. Willie.
