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New York Times reporter claims she was kicked out of Trump rally after campaign ‘tracked her down’

Correspondent removed from event by staff for lack of credentials, according to campaign officials

Alex Woodward
New York
Thursday 10 September 2020 21:41 EDT
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Donald Trump told a rally crowd in Michigan that Antifa members will become their neighbors if Joe Biden defeats him in November.
Donald Trump told a rally crowd in Michigan that Antifa members will become their neighbors if Joe Biden defeats him in November. (AFP via Getty Images)

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A correspondent for The New York Times covering Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Michigan said she was removed from the event by members of his campaign.

“I’ve just been kicked out of the Trump rally,” said Kathy Gray, who was covering the rally in Freeland, Michigan on Thursday.

She said on Twitter: “First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out."

According to a campaign official, Ms Gray wasn’t credentialed as press while covering the event from inside the general admission area.

The campaign told The Independent that she had to apply for credentials if she wanted to cover the event, or remain at the event as a guest if she wasn’t there in her capacity as a member of the press.

At the president’s re-election campaign kickoff in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June, campaign staff requested that police remove a woman from outside the event, though she had a ticket to attend.

Sheila Buck’s arrest was captured by live television cameras moments after she was seen praying outside the president's rally on 20 June wearing an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt to memorialise black Americans killed by police. She was accused of "trespassing" by police and was pulled away from the city's BOK Centre.

She was placed into a police cruiser and booked with "obstruction", according to police, though she wasn't impeding any foot traffic or blocking any access to the area.

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