Trump snaps and lunges at reporter over proposed voter checks

What happened in Dallas?

Donald Trump has drawn fierce criticism after lunging towards an ABC News reporter on a Dallas tarmac, snapping at her and branding her network "the worst" after she questioned his proposed $5,000 voter payouts.

The confrontation happened on Thursday night as the US President prepared to leave Texas, where he had addressed the Republican Party's midterm convention. Rachel Scott, ABC's senior political correspondent, pressed him on his promise to give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans hold Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

Scott pointed to the country’s ballooning $40 trillion debt. "If your economic policies are working, why do you need an incentive for people to turn out to vote?" she asked.

Trump denied that the proposed payments were a political bribe to boost turnout. "I didn’t do it for turning out the vote," he said. "I did it as a reward for people having to put up with five years and four years of a horrible situation caused by Biden."

How did the confrontation escalate?

When Scott tried to ask a follow-up about his promised tariff checks, Trump’s temper flared. He pointed his finger, repeatedly barked "Not you!", and then stepped aggressively towards her, leaning down.

"Your network… you're the worst," Trump snarled before trying to take a question from another reporter.

ABC News quickly came to the defence of its correspondent. "We wholeheartedly support Rachel Scott and our entire Washington team who do an exceptional job delivering trusted and straightforward reporting to the public every single day," a network spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.

Scott did not comment publicly on the incident beyond posting the footage of the confrontation online.

A history of clashes with reporters

The exchange is the latest in a long series of aggressive confrontations between the 80-year-old president and female journalists, particularly women of colour. Trump has repeatedly singled out Scott, 33, since returning to the White House.

During an event at the Lincoln Memorial in May, Trump called Scott "stupid" and a "horror show" after she asked about domestic project spending during the war in Iran. In December last year, he called her "obnoxious" and "a terrible reporter" during a Cabinet meeting press conference.

Other reporters have faced similar treatment. Last month, Trump exploded at CNN's Kristen Holmes during a briefing, calling her a "fake reporter" and telling her to be quiet. Later in the month, the White House targeted Holmes in a social media post, claiming her children would grow up to be "sickened and embarrassed" by her conduct. He also lashed out at PBS NewsHour's Liz Landers and NewsNation's Libbey Dean, calling a question from the latter about nuclear weapons "stupid."

White House officials have previously brushed off concerns about his behaviour towards the press corps. Following an incident last November where Trump told Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey to "quiet, piggy," then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the remarks, telling reporters they should "appreciate the frankness and the openness" of the president.