CNN Political Analyst Joe Lockhart criticized Nick Sandmann after the Covington Catholic graduate gave his speech during the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, calling him “a snot-nosed entitled kid from Kentucky.”
Sandmann, who was widely villainized after he was confronted during the March for Life protest in 2019, criticized the media for embracing “cancel culture,” and praised President Donald Trump for calling out those in the media with agendas and refusing to “allow them to create a narrative instead of reporting the facts” during his RNC speech.
“I look forward to the day the media returns to providing balanced, responsible and accountable news coverage,” Sandmann said.
“I believe we must join with a president who will challenge the media to return to objective journalism,” he added.
Sandmann was condemned after his altercation with Nathan Phillips, a Native American activist. Viral videos showed Sandmann, flanked by his peers and wearing a MAGA hat, face-to-face with Phillips.
Many prominent media outlets quickly accused Sandmann of taunting Phillips with racist chants and mocking him.
Days later, however, Sandmann’s peer who was at the rally said that the media’s accusations were “not true,” and that the altercation “was taken entirely out of context.” Contrary to reports that Sandmann had approached Phillips, the student said that the opposite was in fact true.
Sandmann also said that he and his peers were harassed in his statement, contradicting much of the original reporting.
Phillip also gave an inconsistent account of what happened changing his story in interviews to the Washington Post and the Detroit Free Press.
In response to the accusations, Sandmann filed defamation lawsuits against some of the outlets, the most recent of which was settled in July.