CBS Reporter Claims PTSD After Narrow Escape From Furious Crowd Following Trump Assassination Attempt

CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane said this week he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within 48 hours after the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

He said the trauma didn’t come from the gunfire itself but from the crowd’s reaction, which he claims made him fear for his life.

MacFarlane was covering the campaign rally when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop, striking Trump in the ear and killing rallygoer Corey Comperatore, a former volunteer fire chief. 

Several others were injured in the attack before the Secret Service neutralized the shooter.

Speaking on “The Chuck ToddCast,” MacFarlane recounted the chaos that unfolded after the shooting. 

“There was a subset — not everybody — there’s dozens of people in the crowd who started coming for us, saying, ‘You did this. This is your fault. You caused this. You killed him.’ And they’re going to beat us with their hands,” he told Todd, according to The Daily Caller. “I mean, they were going to — they were going to kill us.”

He explained that members of the press were being directly blamed for the violence that occurred at the rally. 

Many individuals in the crowd appeared convinced that the media not only covered the event but had actively orchestrated or inspired the assassination attempt. 

This belief fueled their anger and hostility toward journalists, who were seen as responsible for inciting the attack rather than simply reporting on it, according to MacFarlane.

“That’s the thing. I can’t eliminate from my mind’s eye the look in their faces,” he continued. “That’s what America is right now. It’s not rational. It’s an irrational thought to think the media shot somebody from atop a building.”

MacFarlane credited Trump’s immediate response—raising a fist in the air despite being wounded—with defusing the crowd’s anger before it turned deadly. 

“When he jumped up triumphantly, it saved us,” MacFarlane said, claiming that the crowd would have “killed us” if he hadn’t.

Some analysts suggest that the media’s critical coverage of President Trump has contributed to a tense atmosphere at his events. 

Over the years, various outlets have described Trump as a “threat to democracy,” a characterization that has been part of broader political debates. 

Additionally, Trump and many of his supporters have accused the media of fomenting hostility and even blamed the press for contributing to threats against his safety, further intensifying the contentious relationship between the president’s base and news organizations.

CBS News has not issued a statement in response to MacFarlane’s PTSD diagnosis or his claims about the hostile crowd. 

MacFarlane is CBS News’ Justice Correspondent based in Washington, D.C. 

He has covered major national events, including political campaigns and breaking news stories, earning multiple regional Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards for his investigative reporting. 

MacFarlane joined CBS News in 2021 after nearly a decade reporting at NBC’s Washington affiliate.

The network’s reporting on the incident has continued, with MacFarlane returning to limited on-air appearances since the shooting.

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