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But that didn't
stop Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, campaigning
a few states away at the time, from telling a completely
opposite version of what happened, condemning Obama for
screaming at the protester.
The incident happened in clear view of reporters covering the
rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where a predominantly
African American crowd was jammed into a gym at a state
university to hear Obama stump for Clinton.
Obama had just said Trump was unfit to lead the country when he
was interrupted by a white-haired white man in a beret and suit
jacket with what appeared to be military patches, who stood up
in the stairwell of the bleachers, waving a Trump campaign sign.
The crowd turned its attention to the protester, screaming and
booing at the man. Obama repeatedly told the irate crowd to
"focus" and to "settle down."
"Everybody sit down and be quiet for a second!" Obama said.
"You've got an older gentleman who is supporting his candidate,"
he said as the protester was led away.
"We live in a country that respects free speech," he said. "It
looks like he might have served in our military – we’ve got to
respect that."
In Trump's version, Obama scolded the protester, not the crowd.
"He was talking to the protester, screaming at him, really
screaming at him," Trump said.
"By the way, if I spoke the way Obama spoke to that protester
they would say, ‘He became unhinged,’” Trump said.
(Writing by Roberta Rampton Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Leslie
Adler and Jacqueline Wong)
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