White House defends Trump's conspiracy tweet about Buffalo protester, saying he was just 'raising questions'


The White House is defending President Trump's tweet that baselessly accused a 75-year-old protester who was shoved by police of being an "antifa provocateur," even as the tweet reportedly left some aides "despondent."
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared on Fox News on Wednesday, and was asked about Trump's Tuesday tweet in which he floated a conspiracy theory that 75-year-old activist Martin Gugino, who was shoved to the ground by police in Buffalo, New York, was an "antifa provocateur" and that the situation "could be a set up." Two police officers have since been charged with second-degree assault over the incident, which was captured on video that showed Gugino bleeding on the sidewalk. Trump's tweet came after watching the right-wing One America News Network.
"The president was raising questions based on a report that he saw," McEnany said. "They're questions that need to be asked. In every case, we can't jump on one side without looking at all the facts at play. This individual had some very questionable tweets."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This comes after Axios reported that former and current White House aides seemed "despondent" and "at their wits' end" over the tweet, and "one former aide remarked that it's tweets like this that make him wonder whether Trump actually wants to get re-elected." Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 jumbo-sized political cartoons about Qatar's 'gift' to Trump
Cartoons Editorial cartoons feature artists' takes on Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East.
-
Broccoli and cashew stir-fry recipe
The Week Recommends This nutty dish is a satisfying vegetarian option
-
The UK-US trade deal: what was agreed?
In Depth Keir Starmer's calm handling of Donald Trump paid off, but deal remains more of a 'damage limitation exercise' than 'an unbridled triumph'
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin