{"id":44485,"date":"2020-03-20T15:22:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T22:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=44485"},"modified":"2020-03-20T15:33:54","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T22:33:54","slug":"trump-lashes-out-at-reporter-who-made-the-mistake-of-telling-him-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=44485","title":{"rendered":"Trump Lashes Out at Reporter Who Made the Mistake of Telling Him the Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

The media has an abysmal record for the way it has covered Donald Trump. From the very beginning of his campaign in 2015, to the present, the press has given Trump far too much latitude to lie and paid way too much attention to his reality show style hype. They really need to remember that their obligation is to the public, and to keeping them informed. Their mission is to present the truth, not an artificial facade of balance. Reporters are not stenographers.<\/p>\n

\"Donald
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Trump is a confirmed self-promoter and a pathological liar. His words cannot be relied upon for anything other than evidence of his mammoth ego and infantile obsession with maligning those he regards as enemies. And considering his severe paranoia, there almost everyone is an enemy. Even under ordinary circumstances, these traits would require special treatment by the press to unravel the intentions of such a person in a position of power. But these are not normal times. The presence of a viral pandemic that is putting the lives of millions at risk makes these times unique and perilous.<\/p>\n

On Friday morning Trump provided an outstanding example of what makes him such a difficult character to cover. It occurred at the daily press briefing from the White House. Trump actually should not even be attending these briefings. Presumably he would have more important work to do during this crisis, which is why he assigned his Vice-President, Mike Pence, to head the Coronavirus Task Force. But Trump has been showing up every day because it has replaced the ego-stroking cult rallies<\/a><\/strong> that he can’t hold anymore due to the risk of them becoming breeding grounds for the virus<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

During the briefing, NBC reporter Peter Alexander was called on to ask a question. It all started off fairly mild, but Trump quickly changed his tone into one of reflexive defensiveness and overt hostility. Alexander began by asking Trump if it was possible that his “impulse to put a positive spin on things might be giving Americans a false sense of hope?”<\/em> That led to this exchange:<\/p>\n

Alexander:<\/strong> What do you say to American who are scared though? Nearly 200 dead. 14,000 who are sick. Millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching right now who are scared?
\nTrump:<\/strong> I say that you are a terrible reporter. That is what I say. I think that’s a nasty question. And I think it’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the America people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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PETER ALEXANDER: What do you say to Americans watching right now who are scared?<\/p>\n

TRUMP: I say that you are a terrible reporter. That is what I say. I think you had a nasty question. pic.twitter.com\/yw1T2HTnT3<\/a><\/p>\n

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n