The Trump campaign reportedly tracked down a New York Times reporter at President Donald Trump’s Freeland, Michigan rally Thursday night and then forced her to leave the outdoor event after she had been posting photos and observations about how few rallygoers were social distancing or wearing masks.

On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on CNN that  she would find it “distressing” if the Trump campaign held a “maskless” rally in her state, which is still enforcing mask-wearing regulations at outdoor events where people cannot practice social distancing. Kathy Gray, a Times correspondent from Michigan covering the rally, began Tweeting just minutes before Trump’s arrival, and noted that only a tiny minority of the thousands of Trump supporters on hand were wearing masks.

Trump rally in freeland attracts thousands . Maybe 10% have masks.

— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020

One minute later, she reiterated the paucity of masks and included a photo of dozens of rally goers waiting on the tarmac for Air Force One. Few had on masks though they were almost all standing with six feet of each other.

Crammed in crowd in the rain for trump rally in michigan. Not many masks pic.twitter.com/5DZ6JBVNK8

— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020

After two more posts, one to merely note that Air Force One had arrived, the next to say that Trump had arrived on scene, Gray announced about 15 minutes into Trump’s speech that he had been kicked out of the event.

And so it begins pic.twitter.com/fuLY4oasjP

— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020

I’ve just been kicked out of the trump rally.

— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020

Then, 20 minutes later, Gray elaborated on the details of her removal. According to her, the Trump campaign noticed her posts, tracked her down in the crowd based on her photos and had her escorted out.

First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out.

— Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020

Trump has a long-running feud with the Times, which he has repeatedly blasted as “failing” and dismisses when it offers unflattering coverage of his administration or campaign. Both during his 2016 campaign and while president, Trump officials have shown little regard for press freedom, at times banning reporters from campaign events and revoking access for journalists to the White House briefing room.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/2DOZvqD