Certain journalists should spend more time investigating, and less time trying to score sick burns against President Trump.
We’ve seen this story maybe 100 times: President Trump says “X,” reporters think “X” is stupid or factually incorrect, they rush to correct him only to discover later that “X” is perfectly reasonable and accurate. Their failed attempt to embarrass the president serves only to reveal that they are just as sloppy and ignorant as they say he is.
Take the Finnish president incident.
Trump attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathering in Brussels last week. The July 12 summit hosted not only its usual members, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, but also non-members, including Finnish president Sauli Niinistö, who gave an address on the final day.
On Monday, at the Mäntyniemi Residence in Helsinki, Trump and Niinistö addressed reporters at a joint press conference. The American president began his remarks by referring the NATO summit that both he and Niinistö attended earlier.
“I enjoyed being with you a couple of days ago. NATO has, I think, never been stronger. And it was really — it was a little bit tough at the beginning, and it turned out to be love. It really was a great meeting that we had and brought everybody together, and, I think, very worthwhile,” Trump said.
He added, “We had a fantastic meeting a few days ago; some of you were there. It was a very successful meeting. I think NATO has never been more together. … And I think NATO has probably never been stronger than it is today.”
Poorly informed reporters pounced, each racing to be the first to accuse the American president of committing a gaffe.
“Does he think Finland is in NATO?” asked New York Times White House reporter Julie Davis.
Financial Times correspondent Henry Foy added elsewhere, “Trump in opening remarks to Finnish President in Helsinki thanks him for his support, and says NATO has never been stronger. Finland isn’t in NATO.”
Der Spiegel’s Sebastian Fischer quoted the president, making sure to stress that Niinistö is a “NATO non-member.”
The best media self-own goes to the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin who tweeted first, “Trump told the Finnish President just now he enjoyed spending time with him at the NATO summit. Finland is not part of NATO. #awkward.”
Then came the backtrack.
“Finland is a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace. But focusing on the strength of NATO is still an odd choice of things for Trump to focus on at his one public meeting with Finland’s head of state,” Rogin tweeted.
He added, “The Finnish President did attend the NATO summit in Brussels.”
Awkward indeed.
Yes, Finland may not be a NATO member, but President Niinistö attended (and spoke!) at the summit in Brussels. Trump merely referenced something that happened a whole couple of days ago. In Helsinki, Trump did enough to make himself look bad. Why do reporters need to make up offenses?
(h/t @JerryDunleavy)
