NBC News correspondents were caught interrupting prayers at the RNC, leading to delegates telling a reporter to “shut up” and demanding to know which outlet he was reporting for.
On Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC), NBC host Jen Psaki attempted to cut to the network’s on-scene reporter, Vaughn Hillyard, while it was obvious that the crowd was in the middle of a prayer.
“What have you been hearing from people there?” the former White House press secretary asked.
To his credit, Hillyard told Psaki that he didn’t want to interrupt the prayer — but the way he said it left conservatives outraged, as he added that he didn’t want to risk an interruption in “this crowd.”
“Jen I hate to do this to you, but they just started a prayer and I don’t want to interrupt it in this crowd,” Hillyard said as every audience member behind him had their head bowed in silent prayer.
NBC then cut back to Psaki, who agreed that they did not want to “talk over a prayer,” though she continued to talk over the prayer on her end of the call.
NBC's Vaughn Hillyard apologizes to Jen Psaki for not wanting to disrupt prayer "in THIS crowd". Acela Media elitism so thick you can taste it. pic.twitter.com/0lEX2J64v0
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 16, 2024
This was not the only time NBC reporters spoke over an obvious moment of prayer at the convention. During the last night of the RNC on Thursday, NBC correspondent Garrett Haake was speaking on camera about the feelings among GOP supporters at the convention. However, this time, the delegates in the crowd around him informed him of his disrespectfulness. According to a post on X from Daily Caller White House News Correspondent Reagan Reese, “NBC News just tried to do a live hit in the middle of a prayer on the RNC floor and several delegates started hitting the correspondent telling him to shut up and that it wasn’t appropriate to interrupt.”
NBC News just tried to do a live hit in the middle of a prayer on the RNC floor and several delegates started hitting the correspondent telling him to shut up and that it wasn’t appropriate to interrupt. @DailyCaller
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) July 19, 2024
Another RNC attendee, internet personality Jason Howerton, also witnessed the incident — noting in a tweet that an audience member told Haake “to shush because they were praying,” but the reporter continued interrupting the prayer, though he was “whispering like a child would who just got in trouble.”
One of the greatest things I've seen at the RNC is when NBC tried to do a live hit on the floor during a prayer.
Someone told them to shush because they were praying. The reporter started whispering like a child would who just got in trouble.
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) July 19, 2024
Reese shared a clip of Haake’s reporting during the prayer in another X post, showing his lack of respect for the prayer as he admitted that the crowd was in the middle of a prayer but continued interrupting in the moment. Although he did speak quieter, that was still extremely disrespectful.
“I’m being asked to be very quiet here guys, but you can see Vance is up on the stage now with the former President behind us, having come in during the prayer,” Haake said, rather than respecting the silence and waiting a few moments to continue reporting.
Here’s the clip. The correspondent gets noticeably quieter and says delegates asked him to be quiet. A delegate nearby demanded to know which outlet he reported for. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/EQwmuPqjLh
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) July 19, 2024
