Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper addressed President Donald Trump directly over attacking journalists during his coronavirus press briefings and asking if he had a plan.
Tapper said, “Trump is taking questions from reporters nearly every day, but that does not mean he’s answering them. The president continually responds to urgent questions from the media about the coronavirus pandemic by attacking the journalists asking the questions, no matter how relevant or vital.”
In a montage clip from several press briefings, Trump said, ” You’re a third-rate reporter, and what you just said is a disgrace. That was a nasty question from CNN. You’re just incapable of asking a question in a positive way.”
Tapper said, “You heard that right amid a global pandemic and tens of thousands of infected and dead Americans, the president is upset that journalists are not asking questions in a positive way and are instead asking him challenging questions, questions he clearly does not want to answer.”
After playing a clip of a reporter asking about testing, Tapper continued, “There’s nothing horrid about the question. Mr. President, on March 6th, you visited the CDC, and you said anyone who wants a test can get a test. That was not true then. It remains untrue today. Any responsible path out of this situation requires much more widespread testing than the U.S. is doing right now. What is the plan to ramp it up, even more, sir? How many Americans will be tested? And by when?”
Tapper concluded, “Look, Mr. President, everyone wants this program to work, but the fact remains, there are issues with the paycheck protection program. How are those kinks being fixed? What is the plan? Attacking journalists who ask questions does not make those questions go away. It only reveals that you might not have the answers. Again, sir, respectfully, what is the plan for a way out of this? Do you have one?”
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