With Trump Derangement Syndrome burning through the progressive population, it should come as no surprise that hate hoaxes are now a thing. If you can’t show real evidence that Trump is “Literally Hitler,” why not just fabricate it? After all, when you know in your heart the man hates everyone but Putin, you have a sacred duty to expose that by any means necessary, right? The ends always justify the means when it’s for the “greater good.” And such manufactured malice is a winning strategy when you have a culpable media ready to pounce on any opportunity to trash Trump.

This particular symptom of TDS is especially disturbing, as it can, apparently, strike at any moment. Part-way through a November 16 performance of Fiddler on the Roof in Baltimore, an anti-Trumper was reminded by the play just how much he hated the president. In the heat of his passion, the poor snowflake’s mind melted, causing him to jump up, deliver a Nazi salute, and scream “Heil Hitler! Heil Trump!”

And if you get your news from The Washington Post, you’d think him a Trump-supporting Nazi.

The Outburst

About ten minutes into the first intermission, Anthony M. Derlunas II was triggered by the story of a Jewish family’s persecution at the hands of tsarists in Russia. As Mr. Derlunas told the police afterward, he intended to express his frustration through a clever comparison. But to those present, it looked an awful lot like a white supremacist radically demonstrating his love for both Trump and Hitler. There was anger. There was fear. One audience member reported the expectation of gunfire to come next.

Less than a month after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the fear of being murdered at a Jewish play by an anti-Semite madman who has just furiously yelled “Heil Hitler!” is entirely reasonable.

But as it turns out, that wasn’t his goal at all. “Instantly it was like, ‘Oh my God, what did you do?’” Derlunas said during an interview. “The thing that I can’t stand is Trump spreading hatred, and what did I do? I spread hatred.”

The Aftermath

Mr. Derlunas was escorted out by security and handed over to the police, who issued him a stop ticket, which isn’t quite as severe as a citation. As police spokesman Matt Jablow explained, Derlunas didn’t threaten anyone, so his words were protected by the First Amendment.

Naturally, his fellow audience members and the general public were less forgiving – especially the Jewish community. The Anti-Defamation League even pushed for charges against the man. “For those in attendance, this anti-Semitic outburst was a threatening, intimidating act of disorderly conduct,” explained Doron F. Ezickson, regional director of the ADL in D.C.

WaPo’s Uh-Oh

For those reading about this in The Washington Post, however, there was no mention of the man’s true political leanings – at least not in the initial story. For an entire day, and well after other outlets – including The Hill and The New York Times – ran the full story, WaPo still had Derlunes as unidentified. The paper told of his outburst and the reaction at the theater; then they delved into the disturbing trend of anti-Semitism these days. But no correction to include the man’s name and professed motives for many hours after the rest of the media had the full story. They corrected their version sometime Friday evening, of course, but The NYT ran Derlunes’ identity and his explanation to the police on Thursday – the day before WaPo covered the story to begin with.

Did it really take The Washington Post an entire day after the facts had been reported by other outlets – many just as left-leaning – for them to get it straight? Or were they planning to let it ride and hope that no one pointed out the omission? If democracy dies in darkness, then it’s a good thing we have the stellar journalists at The Washington Post to (gas)light the way.