CORRECTION: Former President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges.
Former President Trump reportedly grabbed a reporter’s phone and tried to have him removed from a plane earlier this year after being asked questions about the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into the former president.
According to a recording first obtained by Vanity Fair, NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard asked Trump a series of questions following his campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25. The questions about the Manhattan investigation appeared to irritate the former president, who later said, “Don’t ask me any more questions,” on the recording.
Ahead of his Waco rally, Trump had posted that he expected to be arrested in connection to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair between her and the former president. He urged his supporters on social media to protest his potential arrest, prompting concerns among lawmakers that protests could turn violent.
Trump was indicted April 4 and pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records, becoming the first president to be indicted on criminal charges.
The Washington Post, which also obtained the recording, reported that when Hillyard noted that the former president seemed “frustrated,” Trump lashed out at him.
“I’m not frustrated by anything. What am I, frustrated? — I just did a speech for two hours,” Trump said. “I’m not frustrated by it. It’s a fake investigation. We did nothing wrong — I told you that. … It’s the exact opposite. This is fake news, and NBC is one of the worst at it. Don’t ask me any more questions.”
The Post also reported that at one point, Trump told Hillyard, “I heard you’re a nice guy from NBC, but you’re not.”
About 20 minutes into the gaggle with reporters, the Post reported that Hillyard pressed Trump again on another question regarding the investigation, to which Trump could be heard saying, “Let’s go, get him out of here. Outta here! Outta here!”
Trump then reportedly asked if the phones on a table were Hillyard’s, and the Post reported that a “thud” could be heard on the recording as Trump tossed the phones away.
The Hill reached out to Trump’s campaign and NBC for comment.