In a rare moment on his trip abroad, President Trump went off script to praise Greg Gianforte’s victory in Montana’s special election, calling it a “great win.”
Donald Trump is in Italy today attending G7 summit, and he gave reporters an unsolicited comment about the Montana election.
“Great win in Montana,” Trump said.
WATCH:
Republican Greg Gianforte won the special election for a House seat even after assaulting a reporter who asked him a question about the CBO’s scoring of the latest House healthcare bill. He was charged with misdemeanor assault.
Gianforte apologized for the attack during his victory speech Thursday night, saying, “I made a mistake.”
Trump’s decision to comment on the win is especially surprising because a number of media journalists tried to blame his rhetoric against the media for Gianforte’s behavior. (WATCH: Journos Blame Trump For Gianforte Assault)
According to the journalists, Trump’s comments about the media being “the enemy of the people” may have encouraged Gianforte to get aggressive.