As RedState reported, a horrific scene unfolded earlier in front of the Trump trial courthouse in Manhattan, with a man apparently setting himself on fire, much like the self-immolation we saw U.S. Air Force serviceman/pro-Hamas protester Aaron Bushnell commit in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. back in February.
In a press conference, the NYPD identified the man as Maxwell Azzarello, who they said was currently in critical condition at a nearby burn unit (as of this writing). They also revealed that shortly before he set himself on fire, Azzarello briefly interacted with Trump protesters and then threw “propaganda-based” pamphlets in the air, after which the self-immolation began.
READ: NYPD Reveals Identity of Man Who Set Himself on Fire Outside Trump Trial, in Critical Condition
Because of the unprecedented nature of the trial, reporters for various local and national media outlets are all around in hopes of catching the scoop of the century. Among them was a CNN crew, where anchor Laura Coates was already doing a live segment on the trial and practically had a front-row seat to what went down.
She gave an incredible play-by-play of what she saw happening even as she thought (initially) that it was an active shooter situation:
Just minutes after the full jury was selected in Donald Trump’s New York hush money criminal trial, someone appears to have set themself on fire outside the courthouse, per CNN’s @thelauracoates. pic.twitter.com/skRj1dXD9t
— The Recount (@therecount) April 19, 2024
Later, Coates, who seemed slightly rattled but who was composed, described the “emotional” aspect of what she witnessed:
“I cannot … overstate the emotional response of watching a human being engulfed in flames and to watch his body be lifted into on a gurney.”
— CNN’s @thelauracoates describes the emotions of seeing someone appear to set themself on fire outside the Trump NY trial courthouse pic.twitter.com/jg41TopDga
— The Recount (@therecount) April 19, 2024
On social media, Coates’ reporting on Azzarello’s actions as they happened had a lot of people talking, with many praising her and some likening her to a sports announcer.
“CNN reporter excitedly narrates a man burning himself to death like she’s Jim Nantz calling a touchdown in a playoff game,” conservative commentator Matt Walsh observed.
The MRC’s Austin Reeder opined that “CNN’s @thelauracoates‘s report of a person setting themselves on fire in front of Donald Trump’s trial sounds like she’s calling The Kentucky Derby.”
“Urgent without panicking at the horrific sight, somehow didn’t move when she thought it was an active shooter, and good on CNN for cutting away,” wrote Canada comms consultant Lucas Meyer.
I can tell you right now, had that been me, a few expletives probably would have flown and I would have had to turn away. Though animated, how Coates maintained her composure through all that despite what was going down right before her eyes is a mystery to me, but the way she responded was textbook broadcast journalism. My hat is off to her for sticking with it when others would have walked (or run) away.
Flashback: CNN Anchor Just Wrecks Keith Olbermann in War of Words Over Joe Biden’s Age
