A cameraman from Britain's BBC News was shoved and nearly had his camera knocked to the ground Monday night at a campaign rally for President Donald Trump by a man wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat.
Video showed Trump speaking to the thousands of supporters who attended the rally in El Paso, Texas, when suddenly the picture from the BBC camera became unsteady.
Moments later, a man was seen being restrained and removed the press area. He swore at journalists, repeating the phrase "(Expletive) the media" before being escorted away.
After the attack, Trump gestured toward the journalists and asked, "You alright? Everything OK?" before giving a thumbs up.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that the president "condemns all acts of violence against any individual or group of people - including members of the press."
"We ask that anyone attending an event do so in a peaceful and respectful manner," the statement read.
The BBC identified the cameraman as Ron Skeans, who said the "very hard shove" came from his blindside and he "didn't know what was going on."
Another photographer, Jorge Saldado, shot video just after the incident from a different angle. It showed the man had made it well onto the platform being used for media before he was restrained. Saldado tweeted, "Just had a man shove photogs and equipment over. Here’s video of him being dragged out of press row."
A campaign official reportedly told BBC the attacker may have been drunk.
Trump often mocks journalists covering his rallies, pointing to them as he does so. A BBC producer at the Monday rally tweeted the "crowd had been whipped into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night." (Warning: Graphic language)
Trump has referred in the past to what he calls the "fake news media" as the "enemy of the people."
