A Fox News reporter was blindsided by the anything-can-happen reality of live TV while on the ground in South Carolina for a midterm rally headlined by President Donald Trump on Thursday morning.
There was simply nothing that could have prepared correspondent Lucas Y. Tomlinson for what he was about to hear when he introduced a man named “Tom” to talk about what brought him to the rally.
“Well, in the late ’70s, I was a little too young to get involved and go to South America for the Jonestown Massacre, but this is as close as I’ll ever get, so that’s why I’m here,” Tom said, completely straight-faced.
Utterly bewildered, Tomlinson had to make sure his interview subject was talking about the Jonestown Massacre — the infamous mass murder-suicide cult leader Jim Jones orchestrated in 1978, killing 918 of his disciples.
“That’s right,” Tom replied. “There’s nothing like seeing a cult right up front.”
Tomlinson couldn’t flee from the interview fast enough, turning to the camera and saying, “Alright. So maybe this is not a Trump supporter” as he wandered over to another batch of attendees.
The president was in South Carolina campaigning for Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is in a heated race with Democrat Annie Andrews.