Trump Mocks Disabled Reporter Serge Kovaleski

The False Claim

The incident began with Trump’s repeated assertion that he personally witnessed “thousands and thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the September 11, 2001, attacks. When pressed for evidence, Trump cited a 2001 Washington Post article by reporter Serge Kovaleski, which mentioned authorities detaining “a number of people” who were allegedly seen celebrating on rooftops. Kovaleski subsequently said his original reporting did not support Trump’s vastly inflated claim.

The Mockery

At a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on November 25, 2015, Trump responded to Kovaleski’s pushback by imitating the reporter on stage. Trump bent his wrists, flailed his arms, and altered his voice while saying, “Now, the poor guy, you’ve got to see this guy.” Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition that limits the movement of his joints, particularly in his arms and hands. The physical movements Trump performed on stage clearly resembled the visible effects of Kovaleski’s disability.

Video of the incident spread rapidly across social media and television news. Disability rights organizations were swift in their condemnation. The Arc, a leading advocacy group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, called Trump’s behavior “appalling” and demanded an apology.

Trump’s Denial

Trump denied that he was mocking Kovaleski’s disability, claiming he did not know what the reporter looked like. This assertion was contradicted by Kovaleski himself, who said he and Trump had been on a first-name basis and had interacted numerous times during the years Kovaleski covered Trump’s business dealings for the New York Daily News.

The moment became one of the most frequently cited examples of Trump’s willingness to target individuals with personal attacks, regardless of the circumstances. It resurfaced repeatedly throughout the 2016 campaign, including in a Clinton campaign advertisement featuring the parents of children with disabilities watching the footage. Despite widespread condemnation, the incident did not meaningfully erode Trump’s support among Republican primary voters.