A right-wing channel abruptly cut away from an interview with a Trump rallygoer after the segment derailed.
During coverage of Donald Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday, Real America’s Voice cut to Bobby McNeily, a reporter for the pro-Trump network. McNeily, who was inside the arena, introduced an interview with a man he spoke with earlier while he was waiting in line. The man was identified as Brian.
McNeily opened by riffing on Brian’s Forrest Gump T-shirt, quoting the movie’s “I just felt like running” line and adding, “I love that movie.” Then the bit fell apart.
Looking baffled, McNeily told viewers he was “hearing from friends” that the man beside him was “not a fan of President Trump.”
“It’s very interesting,” McNeily said, “because I’ve never really spoken to anyone that I can recall, interviewing them, not a fan of President Trump, but standing in line to see him.” Brian then revealed that it was his first Trump rally.
“What are you hoping to hear tonight?” McNeily asked.
“What I hope to hear is not what I plan to hear… what I plan to hear is a bunch of rhetoric, a bunch of lies, a bunch of the same old script, that sort of stuff,” Brian said.
“I’m here to get a firsthand perspective of the kind of lies and garbage and stuff that he’s going to probably be peddling for the next two years, as if the first two haven’t been bad enough.”
“Do you consider yourself a registered Democrat, or how would you vote before?” McNeily asked.
“I was independent, because I consider myself moderate,” he said.
“I was independent until JD Vance entered our ballot, and then I actually registered for a Republican. My strategy being, if I can keep him off the general election ballot by voting against him in a primary, then I get two chances to eliminate all these MAGA idiots. That’s my approach.”
McNeily then followed up with a question about whether Vance’s selection had encouraged him.
“Oh, I can’t stand him,” Brian said. “I mean, it’s basically anybody that endorses or is endorsed by Donald is not a fan of mine.”
Moments later, the interview cut away from Brian mid-sentence. The network then cut back to a studio panel, including McNeily, who were asked for a “quick reaction.”
Host Grant Stinchfield marveled at how politely he thought Brian had been treated.
“The left would not be as nice to us if we were at a, God forbid, Kamala Harris rally,” he said. “But he’s Trump-deranged, isn’t he?”
“Absolutely, Grant,” McNeily replied. Still, he said he was “holding out hope” for Brian. “I’m an optimistic guy.”
McNeily guessed that Brian had “listened to crazy far left outlets instead of actually really seeking the truth in all of this.”
The rally came three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Trump was in Youngstown to campaign for Sen. Jon Husted, 59. The Republican was appointed to Vance’s old seat in 2025, after Vance became vice president. Husted is trailing former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown as the GOP fights to hold onto a state Trump won by double digits in 2024, according to the Hill.
Trump’s swing through Ohio comes as his approval ratings hit historic lows. A Pew Research Center poll released last week found that only 3 in 10 Americans now approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Real America’s Voice for comment.
