Kathy Gray, a correspondent for the New York Times and formerly a political reporter for the Detroit Free Press, was kicked out of a (largely massless) Trump rally in Michigan.
In a series of tweets shared on Thursday, Gray documented the moments leading up to Trump's expectedly ill-advised visit, notably pointing out the troubling lack of masks at the gathering. Later, she told her 125,000 followers that Air Force One had landed, followed shortly after by word that she had been "kicked out" of the rally.
"First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics I tweeted and escorted me out," Gray explained.
In a statement, the Times' VP of Communications—Danielle Rhoades Ha—said that the publication was "disappointed" by the actions of the Trump campaign in refusing to credential their freelancer.
"And then, when she registered and attended as a member of the public, they ejected her from the event," the rep said, adding that Gray’s attendance was part of their "goal" of covering campaign developments and speaking with voters about the election.
A Trump campaign source, meanwhile, has alleged that Gray was offered "the opportunity to remain" at the rally. In a report on Thursday night, however, Deadline's Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson said they "are now hearing" that no such offer was given.
Ahead of Trump's Michigan gathering, Joe Biden shared a message criticizing the stunt as a "pep rally" and noted that Trump recently denied a request to fully fund the Michigan National Guard for COVID-19 response.
"Michiganders need a pandemic response," he said.
