‘I had no clue’: Worker reacts to being blindsided by bizarre Trump event
Donald Trump subjected a crew of flagpole installers to a bizarre press conference Wednesday, trapping the workers in an impromptu political rant that covered everything from bombing Iran to Harvey Weinstein's legal troubles.
And one of those who stood awkwardly behind the president has described his bewilderment.
The spectacle unfolded when Trump, trailed by reporters, marched toward construction workers erecting massive flagpoles on White House grounds. Apparently without warning, the workers found themselves unwilling participants in a wide-ranging presidential tirade.
"Any illegal immigrants?" Trump asked the crew upon approaching—presumably as a joke.
Christopher Tattersall, a 40-year-old tree surgeon from Maryland, later described his bewilderment at being thrust into the global spotlight. "I didn't really know what to think," he told The New York Times. "I was just there, in the moment, you know, and I got the president next to me giving a worldwide press conference."
As Trump launched into attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Tattersall admitted he was completely lost. "I had no clue who he was talking about," he said. "I was basically just there as a fly on the wall, waiting for him to wrap it up and then we could get back to work."
The president's rambling expanded to include his "war on Harvard," Vladimir Putin, and conflicts between Pakistan and India. When Trump attempted crude humor about the flagpole "lifting," making suggestive references to words starting with "E," Tattersall remained unimpressed despite Trump's obvious expectation of laughter.
The awkward political theater adds to a later meeting in the Oval Office, where he subjected visiting soccer players to another impromptu political session. Timothy Weah, son of soccer legend George Weah and a U.S. Men's National Team star, found himself trapped alongside Juventus teammates as Trump discussed missile strikes and travel bans.
"They told us that we have to go and I had no choice," Weah said afterward. "I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of like, I just want to play football, man."
‘Remarkable’: Reporter stunned by dramatic detail of Minnesota lawmaker shooting
CNN's Tom Foreman called new details coming out about the night Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, were shot and seriously wounded during an alleged political attack, "absolutely remarkable."
Fifty-seven-year-old Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with shooting the Hoffmans, and killing Speaker Emerita of the MN House Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark.
Federal investigators revealed this week that the suspect visited the homes of two other legislators on the same day.
"Unbelievable the details we're getting out of the hospital from these folks here. It really is remarkable," Foreman exclaimed.
"What they are saying now is that they went to their door at two in the morning. They hear this pounding on the door. They say they went to the door with their adult daughter, Hope, who was with them also," Foreman recounted.
"They saw, according to them, this gunman at the door who shot John Hoffman nine times. His wife Yvette, was pushing the gunman out the door as he shot her eight times. She got him out the door. The daughter, Hope, locked the door and called 911 and got help to the house. Remarkable that these people survived this and made it through their serious conditions."
Foreman remarked that "the fact that this family was able to do that at two in the morning out of a dead sleep, absolutely remarkable."
Foreman read from a statement the Hoffmans released Thursday saying, "We are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn't like what you stand for as a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully. The future for our children depends on that."
Yvette Hoffman was released from the hospital Thursday while her husband continues to be treated for his injuries.
