CNN anchor John King rebuked President Trump for chastising a reporter during Friday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing.
Trump criticized NBC News’s White House correspondent Peter Alexander, calling him a “terrible reporter” after he asked the president what message he would send to people “who are scared” about the coronavirus pandemic.
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King defended the reporter and called the president’s behavior “reprehensible” upon the conclusion of the roughly 90-minute briefing.
“That was a very fair question,” he said. “This is a Trump trademark. This is a Trump trademark. It was striking that this came, this — forgive me — this bullshit attack on fake news came just moments after the secretary of state said the American people, you have to be careful about where they get their information and go to sources they can trust. I get there are times disagreements, there are at times contention between politicians and reporters. That was a 100% legitimate question with no hype, no shade, no bias. He just wanted to attack.”
The president accused Alexander of sensationalizing the news.
“I think that’s a very nasty question, and I think it is a very bad signal that you are putting out to the American people,” he said. “The American people are looking for answers, and they’re looking for hope, and you’re doing sensationalism, the same with NBC and ‘Con-cast.’ I don’t call it Comcast, I call it ‘Con-cast,’ for whom you work.”
Alexander asked the same question of Vice President Mike Pence later in the briefing, to which he answered: “I would say, do not be afraid, be vigilant.”
[Read more: ‘Deep state department’: Trump blasts agency workers while standing next to secretary of state]
