CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jeff Zeleny pointed out in an interview Monday after the Las Vegas shooting that many country music fans are “likely” supporters of President Donald Trump.
Zeleny made his remarks shortly after Trump gave remarks offering his condolences to the victims and their families of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The CNN reporter, when asked to analyze Trump’s speech, said the speech was “pitch perfect” but added that people should “keep in mind” that many country music fans support Trump.
“Something else, I think, to keep in mind – a lot of these country music supporters are likely Trump supporters,” Zeleny said. “This is something, of course, hitting the tapestry of all Americans, and there are going to be victims from across the country here.”
Zeleny did not provide any context or explanation for his assumption that many of the victims supported Trump, so it is unclear why he made that connection while discussing Trump’s remarks.
Others in the media industry also generalized country music fans as Trump-supporting Republicans. CBS executive Hayley Geftman-Gold wrote in a Facebook post that she was not “sympathetic” to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting because “country music fans often are Republican gun-toters.”
CBS released a statement hours later saying that Geftman-Gold was fired for her remarks.