Journalists and reporters from establishment media reacted with horror to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday afternoon press conference in which he denounced media outlets for sensationalizing Saturday’s deadly attack at a Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacist rally.
In a press conference ostensibly called to discuss the president’s infrastructure plan, journalists badgered Trump with questions about his response to the attack in Charlottesville, during which one woman was killed and another 19 injured when a man deliberately drove his car into a crowd of protesters.
“There was no way of making a correct statement that early,” the president said of his initial response to the attack, which many observers characterized as insufficient condemnation of white supremacy and extremism. “Unlike you and unlike the media, before I make a statement, I like to know the facts.”
The president also lashed out at the media for its “inaccurate” reporting surrounding the incident, and said that blame for the violence at the protest belonged to “both sides.”
In response to the press conference, NBC’s Chuck Todd said he was “shaken” by what he had seen, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Conor Friedersdorf, a staff writer for The Atlantic, urged disaffected White House staffers not to leave their posts, and instead stay vigilant to look for evidence of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Reporters from across the establishment media weighed in with their own responses to Trump’s press conference. Below, find a sampling of their reaction:
https://twitter.com/peteschroeder/status/897575398309081089
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.