Some things in life are inevitable -- death, taxes, and the animosity between President Donald Trump and media journalists. Unfortunately, there appears to be a masochistic back-and-forth that never ceases, as both parties are frequently positioned to square off during press conferences and briefings. And while Donald Trump has never been shy to put a reporter on blast, yesterday found him opting for a different maneuver altogether. Taking his ball and going home.
Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images
It began when a CBS White House correspondent named Weijia Jiang asked Donald Trump the following question: "You've said many times that the U.S. is doing better than any other country when it comes to testing. Why does that matter? Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we're still seeing more cases every day?"
Donald Trump responded by saying "maybe that's a question you should ask China," an answer that drew confusion from the Asian-American reporter. "Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically?" she questions, the implication being that Trump's line of questioning was racially motivated. Stonefaced, Trump invites another reporter to ask a question, though he changes his mind the moment before she's able to speak. Clearly perturbed by what he feels to be "nasty" questions, Trump calls the press conference to a premature close and walks off-stage.
While it's clear that both sides will spin the events however they see fit, the fact remains that Trump's relationship with the media is only getting more volatile by the day. Following the exchange, Trump's former political rival Senator Bernie Sanders weighed in, describing the President's behavior as "pathetic." The cycle continues.
Trump Goes Haywire On NBC Reporter Over COVID-19 Question
Trump calls out NBC and “Concast” after reporter Peter Alexander asks about the Coronavirus-induced fear across America.
Donald Trump is still fed up with the mainstream media, especially during these trying times for Americans and people across the world. NBC report Peter Alexander was at the receiving end of a tongue-lashing by the president after asking about the Coronavirus-induced fear across the country. Listing off statistics surrounding COVID-19, Alexander asked, “What do you say to Americans who are scared?”
Trump immediately shut down the question while putting Alexander’s journalistic integrity on the line. “You are a terrible reporter. That’s what I say,” Trump responded before launching into a rant about the “nasty question” he was asked. “The American people are looking for answers and they’re looking for hope. You’re doing sensationalism,” Trump charged. “And the same with NBC and Comcast. I don’t call it Comcast. I call it ‘Con-Cast.'”
He continued, “Let me tell you something. That’s really bad reporting. And you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism. Let’s see if it works. It might. It might not. But I’m feeling really good about it.”
Alexander has since issued a statement surrounding the question stating that he was giving 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.”
Trump’s beef with the media still lingers and it doesn’t look like it’ll end anytime in the near future.
Tyler, The Creator Criticizes Grammys For Racialized Voting
Tyler echoes a common complaint.
Tyler, The Creator secured his first Grammy win on Sunday night by taking home the Best Rap Album award for IGOR. While this may mark a monumental moment in his career, he stills has some reservations about the Recording Academy and he aired them out during a post-show press conference. The 28-year-old multi-hyphenate was asked to share his thoughts on the Grammys' voting practices, as this is a trending topic in the wake of accusations of bias within the Recording Academy made by its recently-ousted head, Deborah Dugan. Tyler replied:
“I’m half and half on it. On the one side I am very grateful that what I made can be acknowledged in a world like this… but it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category. And I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word, to me. So when I hear that, I’m just like, why can’t we just be in pop? So I felt like — half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment."
Many believe that IGOR not being recognized in the Album of the Year category is representative of this issue highlighted by Tyler. Diddy also called out the Grammys' racist history when receiving his "industry icon" award at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday night. "Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys," he said. "Black music has never been respected by the Grammys.”
Serena Williams Shuts Down Question About Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
“Good try.”
#MEGXIT is one of the biggest international stories at the moment. Last week, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, formally announced their plans to take a step back from the royal family. They wish to establish some financial independence by renouncing royal titles and state funding. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” the couple wrote in an Instagram post. People across the world clutched their pearls and pointed fingers upon hearing this news, trying to figure out why the Harry & Meg would break from precedent and disrespect the Queen in this manner.
Given this a huge trending topic and any post related to #MEGXIT can attract clicks (yes, I see the irony in this), a reporter tried to get Serena Williams to comment on it. “Your good friend, Meghan Markle, who attended your last 2 slams, and Harry, have taken a move, a stance that many people think is extraordinary and historic,” the reporter said. “What are your feelings about that? Have you spoken to her?”
Considering this topic has no connection to Williams’ profession, she declined to share her thoughts on it during an Australian Open press conference. “Yeah, I have absolutely no comments on anything with that,” Williams replied. “But good try. You tried. You did good.” Props to Williams for avoiding that bait.
