New York (CNN Business) – In an extraordinary exchange on Friday, President Donald Trump viciously attacked an NBC News reporter who asked what his message would be to Americans who are frightened by the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the country.
The exchange, which occurred at the White House’s daily coronavirus task force briefing, began when NBC News reporter Peter Alexander asked Trump whether he was giving Americans “false hope” by touting unproven coronavirus drugs.
Toward the end of the exchange, Alexander cited the latest pandemic statistics showing thousands of Americans are now infected and millions are scared.
Alexander asked, “What do you say to Americans who are scared?”
Trump, shaking his head, ripped into Alexander in response.
“I say that you are a terrible reporter,” Trump replied. “That’s what I say.”
The President proceeded to launch into an extended rant against Alexander, saying he asked a “nasty question” and assailing NBC and its parent company, Comcast.
“You’re doing sensationalism,” Trump charged. “And the same with NBC and Comcast. I don’t call it Comcast. I call it ‘Con-Cast.'”
“Let me just tell you something,” Trump added. “That’s really bad reporting. And you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism.”
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Alexander said in a statement that he was “trying to provide the president an opportunity to reassure the millions of Americans, members of my own family and my neighbors and my community and plenty of people sitting at home, this was his opportunity to do that, to provide a positive or uplifting message. Instead, you saw the president’s answer to that question right now.”
“The bottom line is, this is a president whose experiences in life are very different than most Americans across this country right now,” Alexander said. “Not a person who likely worries about finances or had, not a person who in the course of his life is worried about his future, not a person who is worried about where to find a paycheck for his bills or for his rent and as evidenced by the president suggesting that an opportunity to provide for American some reassurance about how they should feel right now, the president instead took it out on me.”
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- Discussion
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In an extraordinary exchange, President Trump viciously attacked an NBC News reporter who asked what his message would be to Americans who are frightened by the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the country https://t.co/lhey5g9lP1
— CNN (@CNN) March 20, 2020
I’m a reporter. I’m also an American citizen and I’m worried. So are many of my sources, who are also Americans. This is shameful behavior from the President of the United States, who in good times and bad, is supposed to be President of all Americans. https://t.co/vZAVDfVKBb
— Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) March 20, 2020
John King is FED UP and god bless him for it pic.twitter.com/qGrUFbr7vP
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 20, 2020
This is exactly right. A non-crazy President would have swung at that and knocked it out of the park – to the point where someone would have called Alexander's question a planted softball. But because Trump is terrified and paranoid, everything is about him. https://t.co/R1In5Oks95
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 20, 2020
“Peter Alexander — he’s a fine reporter,” @JakeTapper says about the journalist verbally attacked by Trump. “…If Pres. Trump is not capable of leading stably and effectively, he should… stop making things worse and consider leaving the podium to others” https://t.co/17JdjGfdjk pic.twitter.com/Zy9D7Pwfuk
— CNN (@CNN) March 20, 2020
You can spot the exact moment he died inside pic.twitter.com/griTrntI5s
— marv (@mrvndn) March 20, 2020
This was a legitimate question, the response is inexcusable. Trump's change in tone didn't last long. https://t.co/5M3L9PKVpJ
— David French (@DavidAFrench) March 20, 2020
"What do you say to millions of Americans who are scared?" – Peter Alexander
"I say that you are a terrible reporter." – Trump
Really bad look for the president here.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) March 20, 2020
This answer to a softball is a crystalline revelation of Trump’s character and style of governing during the crisis. Listen to if you haven’t yet, and consider what even the second most abrasive President in history would have said. It’s perfectly repulsive. https://t.co/59SJjQXI9n
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) March 21, 2020
One of Peter's co-workers died from coronavirus. This is where we are. https://t.co/2XobAjdXZK
— Armando Arrieta (@armandoarrieta) March 20, 2020
People are still expecting leadership from Trump? The guy does not know how to lead. The reality tv president
Compare his hot air sessions with any speech or press conferences by President Reagan. In times of trouble, President Reagan knew how to uplift and encourage. He also didn’t pick fights with the press or stage any other phony-baloney controversy. Trump will never understand that press conferences and speeches are not done for ratings. They are for informing and when necessary, encouraging people.
These daily press briefing/conferences are doing nothing for the American people and should be discontinued until and unless there is something major to report. And I still say Trump should not even be there when they are held. What happened to Pence being in charge anyway?
Trump cannot give up control of any situation. You can see in a couple of these conferences he directs Pence to back him up like a puppet. Every time Trump opens his mouth he just makes things worse. Last night sounded more like he was campaigning patting himself on the back. It was all about him. Totally ignoring the facts and shortage of vital supplies pretending that he is getting along just swimmingly with the governors. All one has to do is read the news to see that the governors are frustrated and not happy with him at all. This administration’s entire response to this crisis has been extremely lacking in both urgency and competence. I couldn’t believe that we have the federal government and states competing for the same supplies. One hand doesn’t seem to know what the other is doing. Trump told the governors they were on their own. Their problems do not interest him. He only wants to paint a bright picture for his re-election.
This x 100000 https://t.co/fZ2GuChL4l
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 21, 2020
Trump is holding these press conferences because he can’t hold rallies. Public health is not the point. He needs praise like he needs oxygen. His sycophants talk more than experts. Nothing about tests. It’s all about what Trump wants to hear, not what we need to know.
— Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) March 20, 2020
Exactly, Mr. Mann. These press conferences are all about Trump, not about what’s best for the American people he is supposed to lead. They should be discontinued, or as Mr. Bardella says, record, then air them after they have been fact checked and maybe have someone who actually as knowledge give us the real skinny.
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