President Trump apparently has a new ally in his long-running feud with the ‘fake news’ media.
A CNN reporter shooed away a raccoon that was scurrying toward his direction on the North Lawn of the White House just as he was about to go live on the air before dawn on Wednesday.
Alisyn Camerota, the co-host of CNN’s early morning program New Day, posted a hilarious outtake showing Joe Johns visibly irritated by the cunning creature.
‘Get!’ Johns is seen yelling at the menacing raccoon while he prepares to report from the White House.
Joe Johns, a White House correspondent for CNN, was about to report live on the air from the North Lawn early on Wednesday morning when he was menaced by a raccoon
‘Get!’ Johns is seen yelling at the menacing raccoon while he prepares to report from the White House
‘There he is!’ Johns says, in reference to the raccoon. The correspondent then threw an unidentified object at the animal before letting out a scream
Johns on Wednesday tweeted that he was once again victimized by a raccoon while preparing to go on television
‘There he is!’ Johns says, in reference to the raccoon. The correspondent then threw an unidentified object at the animal before letting out a scream.
In another clip, Johns lets out his frustration after the raccoon apparently re-emerges.
‘Fr***n’ raccoons, man,’ he says.
‘God, again. That’s the second time. Jesus.’
He then walks further toward the lawn to try and chase the animal away.
‘It always comes around right about when I’m gonna go on TV.’
The Secret Service early on Wednesday was out on the White House grounds trying to catch the furry critter
Johns was praised by his colleagues for working under difficult circumstances.
‘This is what a consummate professional Joe Johns is,’ Camerota tweeted on Wednesday.
‘Seconds before his New Day live shot, he fends off a raccoon attack!
‘Just another day in the nutty news cycle.’
Camerota ended the tweet with the hashtags #behindthescenes, #whitehouseraccoon, and #wildlife.
Johns on Wednesday tweeted that he was once again victimized by a raccoon while preparing to go on television.
‘So it’s the 2d time in two weeks a raccoon has shown up shortly after the New Day open,’ Johns tweeted.
‘I think they’re attracted to the lights. No animals were harmed.’
‘I threw something to scare it off.’
Johns is one of at least three White House correspondents who have reported being harassed by raccoons in recent days.
Peter Alexander of NBC News reported that he was told it was a ‘family of raccoons’ – one of which ‘walked under my legs right before my Today Show live shot [on Tuesday].’
Last Monday, CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid reported that several journalists were attacked on the North Lawn by raccoons
White House personnel were asked to take care of the problem after the raccoons’ behavior was described as ‘aggressive’
As part of the effort to combat raccoons, White House personnel laid traps with marshmallows as bait
Last week, Paula Reid, a White House correspondent for CBS News, reported that multiple journalists were attacked on the North Lawn by a raccoon.
‘Strong Pawnee vibes at White House this morning as a raccoon attacked multiple news crews on North Lawn,’ Reid tweeted on September 28, referencing the fictional town of Pawnee from the hit sitcom Parks and Recreation.
In one of the show’s most popular episodes, Pawnee was overrun by raccoons and possums.
According to Reid, a raccoon ‘allegedly grabbed [the] pant leg of a photographer and then a correspondent before being fended off.’
Reid then posted photos of a trap laid out by White House personnel.
‘Feds using marshmallows as bait,’ Reid tweeted.
On social media, Twitter users had a laugh about the raccoons, jokingly speculating that they were sent by the president to harass the news media
One Twitter user remarked that rabies ‘is the less dangerous disease on the premises’ – a reference to the coronavirus outbreak that has been reported among White House personnel as well as the president himself
Another Twitter user joked that the raccoon was ‘Melania in disguise trying to claw her way out of the White House’
Another Twitter user remarked that the raccoons are punishment for the news media’s reporting on the president’s tax returns
One of the traps was shut and the marshmallow was missing, but there was no sign of a raccoon.
Reid then tweeted that CBS News ‘spotted a raccoon roaming around this morning, but it had “no comment” on treats missing from the trap.’
According to the Humane Society, raccoons are among several other animals, including foxes, skunks, and bats, that are primary carriers of rabies.
But the chances of a human ever being attacked by a rabies-stricken raccoon are slim.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that only one human has died after being infected with rabies transmitted by a raccoon.
Raccoons that are infected with rabies usually die within three days of contracting the disease.
Anyone who does get bitten by a rabid raccoon could still recover with prompt treatment.
On social media, Twitter users had a laugh about the raccoons, jokingly speculating that they were sent by the president to harass the news media.
One Twitter user remarked that rabies ‘is the less dangerous disease on the premises’ – a reference to the coronavirus outbreak that has been reported among White House personnel as well as the president himself.
Another Twitter user joked that the raccoon was First Lady Melania Trump ‘in disguise trying to claw her way out of the White House.’
Another Twitter user remarked that the raccoons are punishment for the news media’s reporting on the president’s tax returns.