Trump Told Reporter Violence at Rallies Added ‘Excitement’

On CNN this morning, Michael Smerconish spoke with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd about whether she’s said any “wrong” things about Donald Trump over the past year.

“I’ve gotten so many things wrong,” Smerconish said, “as Donald Trump likes to remind people about this cycle. What have you gotten wrong that stands out?”

Dowd said, “Oh, wow. I don’t know. You tell me. I don’t know.”

They both laughed and Smerconish said, “Maybe it’s all subjective.”

But one detail in Maureen Dowd‘s CNN interview this morning may give some insight into why Donald Trump lashed out at her afterwards.

Dowd told Michael Smerconish that during one of her interviews with Trump, she confronted him about the violence at his rallies, and this exchange ensued:

“I told him that it was wrong that there was violence being incited at his rallies and that reporters were being roughed up. And he paused, you’re right, he did listen, but then he disagreed and said he thought the violence added a frisson of excitement.”

She also asked him why he would attack Bill Clinton over his personal life when he’s not exactly had the most stable marriages.

(h/t Mediaite)

Media

Trump Blasts New York Times Columnist Without Provocation

Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to blast New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, calling her “a neurotic dope.”

“Wacky @NYTimesDowd, who hardly knows me, makes up things that I never said for her boring interviews and column. A neurotic dope!” Trump tweeted.

He added, “Crazy Maureen Dowd, the wacky columnist for the failing @nytimes, pretends she knows me well–wrong!”

It’s unclear what provoked Trump’s outburst at Dowd, who hasn’t written a column since Aug. 27. However, Dowd has often mocked Trump in her columns and written satirical pieces that imitate his voice. And in an interview with CNN Saturday, Dowd said she told Trump she was concerned about the violence at his rallies, to which he responded that he liked the “frisson of excitement.”

Trump has been criticized for employing the word “neurotic” to describe women he dislikes, including MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

(h/t The Hill)