In a startling incident in Washington D.
C. on Saturday, Simon Ateba, a journalist and White House correspondent for Today News Africa, was confronted by an irate woman.
Ateba reported that the woman's fury was triggered by the sight of a Trump campaign hat worn by a friend he was conversing with.
"I was a bit shocked that someone could get that angry simply because someone I am with on a call is wearing a Trump cap," Ateba shared with The Post Millennial. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when both Ateba and the woman boarded a bus at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan bus stop.
Ateba was engaged in a video call with a reporter from One America News who was donning a Trump campaign hat. The unidentified woman, upon catching a glimpse of the hat on Ateba's phone, launched into a tirade.
"She called my friend a white b..tch wearing the m..fckr devil," Ateba recounted. The woman proceeded to question Ateba about his political leanings and whether he was a supporter of President Trump.
"'Are you supporting him? Are you?' She asked me. She said it was the worst thing she has seen today," Ateba revealed.
Taken aback by the verbal onslaught, Ateba confronted the woman when they both alighted from the bus in Mount Pleasant. "It was so shocking that after we got off the bus I asked her to repeat what she said, she went into a rage, threatened to even 'lock me up' for recording her," Ateba stated.
A video clip shows Ateba approaching the woman after they exited the bus, asking her to clarify her earlier statements. The woman retorted, "I wasn't saying anything to you. I was saying I don't like people with Donald Trump hats," she said. "That's what I said. I didn't say sh-t to you."
"I don't like people who don't like Donald Trump. No, I don't. You might do. That's your preference. I don't. I don't f-ck with them," she added.
Ateba's continued recording of the incident further infuriated the woman, who threatened to have him arrested. "I know you're not recording me," she said before entering a building. "Cause I can have you locked up."
Reflecting on the incident, Ateba expressed his astonishment at the depth of what he termed "Trump Derangement Syndrome." "It shows how deep the anti-Trump propaganda has spread here in Washington DC and how much work would be needed to change minds and hearts," Ateba told The Post Millennial.
"I never impose my views on anyone. I believe people should make up their minds and no one should try to force them to see things the same way," he added.
Ateba noted the woman's extreme anger, despite the fact that he was not the one wearing the cap. "I don't know what would have happened if I were the one wearing it," Ateba mused. "It's a bit unbelievable that Trump could get a fair trial here as the judges may also face consequences if ruling does not go as widely 'expected' here... Just so you understand, people are being attacked for simply wearing a hat or cap, for their political views, not for saying or doing anything to anyone, just minding their business! Tough election ahead, folks!"
Simon Ateba, also known for his confrontations with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, is seen as a threat by the Biden administration. Ateba recently filed a lawsuit against Jean-Pierre and the United States Secret Service, alleging violations of the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
Ateba's "hard pass" was revoked by the White House in May, barring him from attending official White House press briefings after he posed challenging questions to the press secretary.
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