Trump Scolds CNN Correspondent for “Asking a Nasty, Snarky” Question Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
During a White House press briefing on Monday, President Donald Trump scolded CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta as the latter tried to bring up Trump’s previous decisions leading to the coronavirus outbreak.
Acosta began the heated exchange when he asked the president what he should tell the American public who were dissatisfied with his response over the deadly pandemic. He then
referred to the previous statements Trump had made, including one in which he claimed that the virus would just disappear “like a miracle.”
The correspondent asked, “What do you say to Americans who believe that you got this wrong?”
However, Acosta’s pointed question did not sit well with the president. He responded that “Well, it will go away, and I do want them to stay calm.” Trump also believed that the administration was doing an excellent job in terms of responding to the current crisis.
Trump continued to say that the statements were true and that the virus will eventually “go away.” The president also shot back by saying that “And, it’s people like you and CNN that say things like that, it’s why people just don’t want to listen to CNN anymore.
You could ask a normal question.” He also defended his previous statements by saying that all he wanted was to keep the country calm and to not cause even more panic. Trump believes that the country has to remain calm and strong to face the ongoing national crisis.
The president also believed that it had been close to a “miracle” for things to come together. He also praised the administration, as well as the coronavirus task force and private companies who have helped fight and resolve the “Chinese virus.”
“And, instead of asking a nasty, snarky question like that, you should ask a real question,” Trump shot back at Acosta.
Trump also responded to accusations and fake news, which had been currently spreading like wildfire. In an interview on Fox News, the president went on to address left-winged media outlets, namely the New York Times, and The Washington Post. Trump had even gone on to describe the latter as “fake” and “phony,” saying that the media outlets had been biased for writing the “opposite” of what was truly happening. He also described the New York Times as “corrupt.”
Currently, media outlets continue to spread fear and misinformation amidst the national crisis. In fact, CBS, another left-winged media network, had recently apologized for featuring a video of a crowded hospital in Italy and claiming it as a scene from a New York hospital, the current epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.