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Who is Ali Velshi? Trump slammed for saying watching journalist get hit by rubber bullet was a 'beautiful sight'

Velshi was reporting live in Minneapolis when police began firing rubber bullets and using tear gas against protesters

President Donald Trump mocked an American news anchor for being shot with a rubber bullet during the protests over George Floyd's death in May, calling it a “beautiful sight” during a political rally in Minnesota on Friday, September 18. But soon, the president was corrected by the journalist.

While in his speech on the protests around the nation against racial injustice that swept the nation this year, Trump recalled the moment that police fired on MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi and his crew as they were reporting from Minneapolis. "I remember this guy Velshi," Trump said. "He got hit in the knee with a canister of tear gas and he went down. He was down. 'My knee, my knee.' Nobody cared, these guys didn't care, they moved him aside. And they just walked right through. It was the most beautiful thing," Trump said. "No, because after we take all that crap for weeks and weeks, and you finally see men get up there and go right through them, wasn't it really a beautiful sight? It's called law and order."

Velshi replied to the statement via tweet, where he wrote, "So, @realDonaldTrump, you call my getting hit by authorities in Minneapolis on 5/30/20 (by a rubber bullet, btw, not a tear gas canister) a “beautiful thing” called “law and order”. What law did I break while covering an entirely peaceful (yes, entirely peaceful) march?" Soon MSNBC published a statement responding to Trump's comment and said, "@MSNBC statement in response to President Trump's comments about anchor @AliVelshi" which read, “Freedom of the press is a pillar of our democracy. When the president mocks a journalist for the injury he sustained while putting himself in harm’s way to inform the public, he endangers thousands of other journalists and undermines our freedoms."

After Trump made this controversial statement people started sharing the video of his speech and one Internet user quoted Trump and wrote, "He got hit on the knee with a canister of tear gas," President Trump says, of @AliVelshi , who was actually hit by a rubber bullet. "Wasn't it really a beautiful sight? It's called law and order." While Piers Morgan one slammed Trump and said, "This is disgusting. Shame on you President @realDonaldTrump. Ali Velshi is a brilliant journalist who was injured doing his job. For you to celebrate that is despicable."

Another Internet user said, "His remarks today about Ali Velshi followed by these about Biden should make him totally unqualified to be president. I will ever understand why anybody supports him." Another one took Veishi's side and said, "Ali Velshi has more commitment to his craft, more intelligence and is braver than Trump has ever been. Trump is an embarrassment and a fool, there’s nothing about him anyone cares to hear."

Who is Ali Velshi?

Ali Velshi is a senior economic and business correspondent for NBC News since October 2016. He is also co-anchors with Stephanie Ruhle of Velshi and Ruhle on MSNBC. He is well known for his work with CNN, where he was the Chief Business Correspondent, Anchor of CNN's Your Money and a co-host of CNN International's weekday business show World Business Today. In 2013, Al Jazeera, America was launched and he was among the first few appointed by the world-class news channel, until April 2016 when Al Jazeera America ceased operations. 

His first book titled, 'Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis', was published on January 2, 2009. His second book titled, 'How to Speak Money: The Language & Knowledge You Need Now' co-authored by his co-anchor Christine Romans, was released by John Wiley & Sons in November 2011.

Velshi was reporting live in Minneapolis when police began firing rubber bullets and using tear gas against protesters. In a live video, Velshi and his crew could be seen covering a protest during broad daylight when police began firing tear gas at them. “There has been no provocation, there was nothing that happened whatsoever,” Velshi said. “The police pulled into this intersection, unprovoked, right into the middle of the crowd, split the crowd, started firing in both directions. They now have fired at us.” Velshi and his crew quickly moved back, but several minutes later Velshi was struck by a rubber bullet and grasped his knee in visible pain. “Oh s**t,” Velshi said. “Alright guys, I got hit.”