Tough guy John Stanton, known for the chains on his trousers and the tattoos snaking up his arms, was not permitted to enter a Donald Trump event Tuesday night. It wasn’t because of his bar room brawl look. But somehow BuzzFeed‘s Washington Bureau Chief was just shocked that this happened to him.
This would be weird if Stanton worked for an unbiased news organization. But his employer is BuzzFeed. On Monday his site’s CEO Jonah Peretti announced that they dumped a $1.5 million ad deal with the RNC because they would undoubtedly include Trump. He compared them to “cigarette ads,” saying they are “hazardous to our health.”
So why on earth would Trump let him him in? Why should a campaign allow access to a reporter who belongs to a news organization that actively condemns a candidate? What’s more…as reported by CNN’s Brian Stelter, BuzzFeed‘s Chairman Kenneth Lerer is co-hosting President Obama at a DNC fundraiser this week.
So what the hell do you expect BuzzFeed?
Even Stanton should understand the Trump campaign’s reasoning.
Stanton went on to boast about all the lawmakers he has angered over the years. “And I’ve pissed off a whole rack of petty, small minded politicians.”
A Washington reporter noted, “Don’t have much sympathy for BuzzFeed and HuffPo. They decided to become activists against Trump, which is fine if that’s what they want. But don’t whine about not being treated like the Associated Press.”