Trump rushes struggling GOP senator at rally: 'You got one minute, they don't want to hear this'
President hurried Arizona Senator Martha McSally before calling up three politicians from other states - plus Nigel Farage - to address the crowd
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Donald Trump brought a series of guests on stage with him during a campaign rally in Arizona on Wednesday, but raised eyebrows with his treatment of the only local Republican senator Martha McSally.
Mr Trump initially said Ms McSally – who is also fighting for re-election next week – was “great” and “respected by everybody”.
But the president’s own tone was less than respectful, as he ordered the senator up onto the stage and told her she had “one minute” to speak.
“Martha, just come up fast,” Mr Trump said. "Fast. Fast. Come on. Quick. You got one minute! One minute, Martha! They don’t want to hear this, Martha. Come on. Let’s go. Quick, quick, quick. Come on. Let’s go."
Ms McSally spoke for just over a minute, and said she was "proud" to work with the president.
After her speech, Mr Trump called up three out-of-state politicians to address the rally. These included Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Representative Kevin McCarthy. The president did not rush them into finishing their speech.
Out of the four, only Senator McSally is running for re-election.
Mr Trump also called the UK politician Nigel Farage onto the stage in Arizona, and described him as “one of the most powerful men in Europe”. Mr Farage does not hold an elected position in the UK or elsewhere. Political correspondents noted that Mr Farage was also given more time than Ms McSally.
President’s treatment of the senator on stage drew criticism from social media users.
“Holly s**t,” said Holly Figueroa O'Reilly, the founder of Blue Wave Crowdsource, an organisation that supports Democratic candidates. “Martha McSally has been one of Trump's biggest defenders,” she added.
“Martha McSally has done everything she can to appeal to Trump & his base. This is how he introduced her,” said American journalist Yashar Ali, while sharing an excerpt of the rally.
“I have no sympathy for Martha McSally - but Trump really is, to use the technical term, a sexist pig,” wrote Bill Kristol, the director of defendingdemocracytogether.org.
Opinion polls on Wednesday gave Ms McSally 44 per cent support among likely voters for the Arizona state position, compared to 51 per cent for her Democratic challenger Mark Kelly.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments