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The Democrat frontrunner in one of this year’s top Senate races went off on a reporter this week who pressed him concerning a controversial remark he made on social media about police.
The tense exhange between Rep. David Trone, D-Md., and Fox 5 reporter Tom Fitzgerald happened during a campaign stop in Rockville, Maryland, on Tuesday, when Trone expressed his anger about the outlet’s reporting from the previous day on his claim that an “increased police presence” doesn’t make people feel safe.
“You should be ashamed of the journalism that you did yesterday,” Trone, who is running to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin, said as he approached the reporter.
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“I should be ashamed? I’m not ashamed, congressman,” Fitzgerald responded before Trone accused him of cherry-picking lines out of his lengthy X post focused on crime and policing.
Trone made the widely panned post on Monday, claiming the American justice system is “systemically racist,” and that an “increased police presence” doesn’t “make everyone feel safer.”
It drew ire from a number of critics who responded that criminals also don’t like an increased police presence, and that they were second-guessing whether to continue supporting his bid for the Senate.
“You took one line out of 20, and you should be ashamed of that type of journalism… You’re shilling for Larry Hogan, so keep shilling for Larry Hogan,” Trone railed against Fitzgerald, accusing him of advocating for his rival, former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is also running for Senate.
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Rep. David Trone, a Democrat running for Senate in Maryland, yelled at a reporter for pressing him on a controversial tweet he posted about the police. (Screenshot/Fox 5)
“If you want to do that, feel free to shill. That’s all I’ve got to say. Go back and read the whole section of tweets. It was very supportive of our police,” Trone said.
Fitzgerald responded that he did read the entire tweet thread, but Trone, before walking away, simply shot back, “You didn’t. You didn’t, and you’re just making it up. You’re just making it up, so thank you.”
Trone’s run-in with the reporter marks his latest controversy on the campaign trail after he faced sharp backlash in March for expressing his support for granting millions of illegal immigrants citizenship and voting rights.
He took more criticism the following week for using a racial slur during a House Budget Committee hearing, something he said was unintentional.
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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaking at an annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Nov. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
“So this Republican jigaboo that – it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business,” Trone said during the hearing. “They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.”
Trone said he intended to use the word “bugaboo,” not “jigaboo,” a disparaging term for Black people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trone’s campaign for comment.
He faces a crowded Democratic primary field that includes Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. The winner will likely face Hogan in the November general election.
Elections analysts rate the race as “likely” Democrat, but Hogan’s name recognition and high approval rating at the conclusion of his second term last year could further pose a challenge to Democrats’ hopes of maintaining control of the Senate.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.
