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James Besanvalle
May 12, 2020
President Donald Trump had one of his most disastrous press conference meltdowns, ending with him storming off after asking a shocking question to a reporter.
And the reactions to it are just as brutal as you might think.
The biggest meltdown came after reporter Weijia Jiang, who is Chinese-American, asked Trump:
Why is this a global competition when, every day, Americans are still losing their lives?
He responded:
They're losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe that's a question you should ask China. Don't ask me, ask China that question, OK?
She clapped back by asking Trump why he told her specifically to "ask China" and he then cut her off to go to the next reporter's question, before storming out.
But Twitter wasn’t impressed by the meltdown, with many calling the exchange "racist" given that Jiang is Chinese.
So an Asian American reporter asks a question and Donald Trump says, “why don’t you ask China.” I have said this be… https://t.co/NVuvUGrIJr— Jason Overstreet (@Jason Overstreet) 1589231930
Trump demonstrating his nasty (& frankly racist, laced with a shot of sexism) core tendencies asking an Asian-Ameri… https://t.co/v9ZoaPHrgI— Dermot O'Riordan🇬🇧🇮🇪🇪🇺 (@Dermot O'Riordan🇬🇧🇮🇪🇪🇺) 1589262241
Trump was a complete animal to a young American girl. A US citizen from Asian heritage.There is no other way to d… https://t.co/DzmRyw71WZ— Lord Sugar (@Lord Sugar) 1589254264
When a reporter asked if there was a double standard in White House staff getting access to Covid-19 tests that everyday Americans can’t, Trump had a similar reaction.
He said:
REPORTER: Isn't there a double standard when WH staffers can get tested every day and normal Americans can't at all… https://t.co/lK9VaTgZh6— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1589230416
People on social media called out the double standard...
Reporter asks why is there a double standard? Everyday Americans can't get tested every day like your staff does. T… https://t.co/GIVPnZJ2io— Hold My PomPoms Bitches (@Hold My PomPoms Bitches) 1589230371
If President Trump is making daily testing and contact tracing available or required for his own staff at the White… https://t.co/ncTMECZUhF— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1589215499
Reporter asks about the "double standard" that WH officials can get test anytime while many places in country can't… https://t.co/XAJk6Rt7xy— David Nakamura (@David Nakamura) 1589230451
@jonathanvswan Double standard, Trump wants business to open, yet there isn’t rapid testing like White House anywhere.— Denise Wu (@Denise Wu) 1588987326
Another awkward moment came about when reporter Philip Rucker asked the POTUS:
You appeared to accuse President Obama of the biggest political crime in American history by far, what crime exactly are you accusing President Obama of committing and do you believe the Justice Department should prosecute him?
Trump vaguely responded “Obamagate” but couldn’t elaborate on the specifics of what the crime was...
.@PhilipRucker: You appeared to accuse Obama of a crime yesterday. What did he do? TRUMP: "Obamagate." RUCKER: W… https://t.co/6Q5VnzXmgp— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1589231633
Again, people had a lot of thoughts – with many thinking Trump is just trying to distract the public with a non-existent scandal:
You know who took the heat, kept his cool, and NEVER stormed off stage like a big cry baby? Barack Obama.… https://t.co/k5ZfsqoJDA— Mr Texas (@Mr Texas) 1589243601
You know what this whole #obamagate feels like to me? It feels like the good ole boy’s got together and said “how d… https://t.co/VlCtDnmlB3— Vaxxed AF! #TeamPfizer Poor Kid Chasing Dreams. (@Vaxxed AF! #TeamPfizer Poor Kid Chasing Dreams.) 1589270412
We were all distracted by Trump making a racist statement to a reporter then storming out in a snit. But the real… https://t.co/s6aPpCXge0— Bryan Behar (@Bryan Behar) 1589266537
Trying to test something here: RT if you think #Obamagate is a hoax.— Victoria Brownworth (@Victoria Brownworth) 1589270783
Then, after reporter Weijia Jiang was denied her question being answered, colleague Kaitlan Collins tried to ask a question but Trump responded:
Next! Next please… I did [call on you] but you didn’t respond and now I’m calling on the young lady at the back.
Then, without warning, he cut the press conference short and walked off in a rage.
If you didn’t watch the Presidential shitshow today, I’ll save you the trouble. Trump blamed some other people for… https://t.co/jvt0pcssSx— Kaz Weida (@Kaz Weida) 1589234601
Trump has walked out of the Rose Garden. He boiled over. And rather than letting @kaitlancollins ask her question,… https://t.co/lWDPA4Yxai— Dr. Jack Brown (@Dr. Jack Brown) 1589239480
Donald Trump walked out of the press briefing, like a toddler, because a woman waited for another woman to ask her… https://t.co/IRIy7kG8Wx— AltEPA (@AltEPA) 1589231901
It is really dangerous for the White House to put Trump out in front of the press. He can barely hold it together n… https://t.co/OBz8hI5Hcf— Tony Schwartz (@Tony Schwartz) 1589240205
Send only female reporters to the next Trump Meltdown.— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@Hoodlum 🇺🇸) 1589259300
At the time of writing, the coronavirus death toll in the US sits at 81,491 – by far, the largest in the world.