NBC reporter fired for wearing MAGA hat while covering rally
A NBC station reporter was fired for wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat while covering a Trump rally in Rochester, Minnesota.
A television reporter in southern Minnesota might need a new hat saying "Make Me Employed Again."
James Bunner, a multimedia journalist for NBC affiliate KTTC-TV in Austin, was fired Friday, reportedly for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat while covering President Trump's rally in Rochester on Thursday.
As the rally got underway, images of Bunner wearing the bright red hat began appearing on Twitter.
Noel Sederstrom, the station's news director, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the station's policy does not allow staff members to wear apparel from political campaigns while covering stories.
Bunner had uploaded a video of himself appearing to celebrate while dancing in a newsroom on Trump's inauguration day.
"Me watching the Trump inauguration," he wrote in the description.
Sederstrom told BuzzFeed News that Bunner was fired for wearing the hat during Thursday's rally, not because of the political views displayed on his social media pages.
Bunner doesn't have a listed phone number and didn't immediately return a social media message seeking comment Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
