Hostile Crowd IGNITES PTSD Controversy!

An assassination attempt on President Donald Trump has left the media in chaos, sparking debates over journalistic integrity and safety amid the contentious political climate.

At a Glance

• CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane claims he was diagnosed with PTSD following the crowd’s hostility at the Trump rally shooting.
• Prominent journalists like Chuck Todd have supported MacFarlane, linking the incident to a rise in political violence against the press.
• Critics have challenged the timeline of MacFarlane’s PTSD diagnosis and accused him of centering himself in the tragedy.
• The incident has raised questions about journalistic objectivity and the growing rift between the media and the public.

A Journalist’s Controversial ‘PTSD’ Claim

In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane claimed he was diagnosed with PTSD—not because of the shooting, but because of the crowd’s hostile reaction to the media. “I got put on trauma leave,” MacFarlane said in a podcast interview with Chuck Todd. “Not because of the shooting… but because you saw it in the eyes, the reaction of the people. They were coming for us.”

Reporter claims he was diagnosed with PTSD within 48 hours of the Trump assassination attempt because of how the crowd looked at reporters afterward

This is interesting given that one of the criteria required to be diagnosed with PTSD is that symptoms last for *at least 1 month* https://t.co/gmA4ycbrlo pic.twitter.com/dZQIajtrXb

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 17, 2025

MacFarlane alleged that dozens of people in the crowd began confronting the press, shouting, “You did this; this is your fault.” His story immediately sparked a fierce debate about the role of the media in a national tragedy.

The Backlash: “Main Character Syndrome”

Criticism of MacFarlane’s account was swift. Conservative commentators, including the hosts of Fox News’s “Gutfeld!,” mocked the claim as an example of “main character syndrome,” arguing that the journalist was making himself the center of a story that was not about him.

Skepticism was also fueled by the timeline. MacFarlane claimed he was “diagnosed with PTSD within 48 hours.” However, according to the DSM-5, the official clinical standard, a diagnosis of PTSD requires that symptoms persist for more than one month. A diagnosis within 48 hours would typically be for Acute Stress Disorder, a different condition. This clinical inconsistency has led many to question the validity of his claim.

The Media Closes Ranks

Despite the criticism, many in the mainstream media have rallied around MacFarlane. Chuck Todd, a veteran journalist, validated MacFarlane’s fears, sharing his own anxiety over the escalating hostility that reporters face at political events.

But for many Americans, the incident highlights a growing rift between the media and the public. Critics argue that by focusing on their own perceived trauma, journalists risk appearing out of touch and self-serving, further eroding public trust. The debate raises pressing questions about how journalists should cover crises while maintaining professional integrity and objectivity in an increasingly polarized nation.