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Trump, who has called the media the enemy of the American people
and regularly derides journalists as "fake news," made his
latest remarks during a campaign rally in Montana.
Representative Greg Gianforte, who made brief remarks at the
rally with Trump, was ordered to perform community service as
part of his sentence for attacking Ben Jacobs, a correspondent
for Britain’s Guardian newspaper, on May 24, 2017, the day
before a special election to fill Montana’s sole congressional
seat.
"Any guy that can do a body-slam ... is my guy," Trump told
supporters at the rally, adding that he was concerned at first
that the incident would jeopardize Gianforte's campaign.
"I said: 'Oh, this is terrible, he's going to lose the
election.' Then I said: 'Well, wait a minute, I know Montana
pretty well, I think it might help him,' and it did," Trump
said.
Gianforte, who won the election, pleaded guilty to assaulting a
reporter.
Trump is on a three-state tour in the western part of the United
States advocating for Republican candidates who are running for
election in November with the hope of keeping control of the
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in Republican hands.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Missoula, Montana; additional
reporting by Mohammad Zargham in Washington; Editing by Mary
Milliken and Leslie Adler)
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