Donald Trump has again referred to a gay CNN journalist with a woman’s name.
He first referred to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper – one of the most prominent openly gay journalists in the US – as “Allison Cooper” in a post on social media on Friday morning.
He followed this up during a rally on the same day, when he criticised a town hall Mr Cooper hosted with Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
“If you watched her being interviewed by Allison Cooper the other night, he’s a nice person. You know Allison Cooper? CNN fake news,” he said.
“Oh, she said no, his name is Anderson. Oh, no.”
On Saturday, Mr Trump repeated the name during a rally in Michigan and again later in Pennsylvania.
“They had a town hall,” Mr Trump said in Michigan.
“Even Allison Cooper was embarrassed by it. He was embarrassed by it.”
In referring to Mr Cooper with a woman’s name, Mr Trump appeared to turn to a stereotype long used against gay men.
Washington Post decision not to endorse ‘cowardice, with democracy as its casualty’
A former editor of the Washington Post has reacted furiously to the paper’s decision not endorse a candidate in the presidential election, and reports that the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, personally intervened to block an endorsement for Kamala Harris.
Marty Baron, who served as the paper’s editor from 2013 to 2021, wrote on X: “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.
“Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others).
“Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
Two veteran journalists – including Pulitzer winner – quit LA Times after Harris endorsement ‘blocked’
The Washington Post is not the only major US newspaper in crisis over the issue of candidate endorsements in this presidential election.
The Los Angeles Times announced yesterday that it would not be endorsing a candidate in this election, sparking fury from both the editorial board and the paper’s staff – and led to the resignation of the editorial page editor, Mariel Garza.
Two more members of the paper’s editorial board, veteran journalists Robert Greene and Karin Klein, have now announced their resignations as well.
While the owner of the paper, medical tycoon and investor Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, said the board itself “chose to remain silent”, other members of the board have been clear that they planned on endorsing Kamala Harris, but the owner personally blocked it.
Mr Greene, a Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing, said in a statement given to the Columbia Journalism Review that he was “deeply disappointed” in the decision.
“I recognise that it is the owner’s decision to make,” he wrote.
“But it hurt particularly because one of the candidates, Donald Trump, has demonstrated such hostility to principles that are central to journalism — respect for the truth and reverence for democracy.”
Ms Garza told the Columbia Journalism Review
that she resigned “because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent”, adding: “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.”
She said the board had intended to endorse Ms Harris and that she had drafted the outline of a proposed editorial, but that was blocked by Dr Soon-Shiong.
Editorial writer Tony Barboza, who remains on the editorial board, said in a post Friday on an internal LA Times message board that the board had planned a series of editorials that would have culminated on Sunday with a Harris endorsement.
“All of it was killed,” he wrote. “I am deeply disturbed to see these facts mischaracterised, and the owner’s decision not to endorse in this consequential race blamed on his employees.”
Dr Soon-Shiong said in a post on X that the board was asked to do a factual analysis of the policies of Ms Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump during their time at the White House.
Ms Klein, who resigned from the board today, said in a statement posted on Facebook that her decision came after seeing Dr Soon-Shiong’s post on X.
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