At the start of what would become a true tour de force, President Trump began Saturday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force daily briefing with a lengthy opening warning of mass death and a tough week ahead for the country as we fight this pandemic. As part of that, he spent roughly a minute excoriating some in the liberal media for “spreading false rumors and creating fear and even panic with the public” that’s “so bad for country” and “the world.”
Trump had just braced the country by stating that “this will probably be the toughest week, between this week and next week, and there’ll be a lot of deaths, unfortunately,” before reassuring them that “[e]very decision...that we’re making is made to save lives” and “[i]t's really our sole consideration.”
With those things in mind, Trump ruled that “[i]t's, therefore, critical that certain media outlets stop spreading false rumors and creating fear and even panic with the public” and sadly, “[i]t’s just incredible.”
He explained that he “could name them, but it’s the same ones, always the same ones.”
Feel free to comment on which outlets Trump was thinking of, but it’s safe to say CNN would take the infamous prize of first place (or last place?).
The President continued, noting how horrible their behavior has been both nationally and globally and pleaded with them to put their hate aside until we’re in recovery mode from this war:
I guess they're looking for ratings, I don't know what they're looking for. It's so bad for our country. And so bad that people understand it, you look at the levels and approval ratings, and they're the lowest they've ever been for the media. It’s so bad for our country, so bad for the world and they've got to put it together for a little while. Get this over with and then go back to your fake news. During the national emergency, it's just essential that the federal decisionmakers cut through the fog and the confusion in order to follow the facts and the science.
Before going into the latest movement from both the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA, the President set the record straight to the liberal media, stating that the federal government has been “communicating directly with” individual “hospital administrators” about what their specific needs are in terms of equipment when local and state governments can’t.
Unfortunately, MSNBC repeatedly dipped out of the briefing to ramble with Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace, WBUR’s Kimberly Atkins, and faux Republican and anti-Trump bloviator Steve Schmidt.
To see the relevant transcript from April 4’s briefing, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
April 4, 2020
4:18 p.m. EasternPRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Every decision that were made --- that we’re making is made to save lives. It's really our sole consideration. We want to save lives. We want as few lives lost as possible. It's, therefore, critical that certain media outlets stop spreading false rumors and creating fear and even panic with the public. It's just incredible. I could name them, but it's the same ones, always the same ones. I guess they're looking for ratings, I don't know what they're looking for. It's so bad for our country. And so bad that people understand it, you look at the levels and approval ratings, and they're the lowest they've ever been for the media. It’s so bad for our country, so bad for the world and they've got to put it together for a little while. Get this over with and then go back to your fake news. During the national emergency, it's just essential that the federal decisionmakers cut through the fog and the confusion in order to follow the facts and the science. Many hospital administrators that we've been in touch with even with the really real hot spots, you know what they are, are communicating directly with us that their levels of supplies are meeting essential needs. At the current time, they're really thrilled to be where they are. Whenever local shortages are reported, we're asking states to immediately meet the demand, and we're stockpiling large amounts in different areas, in different areas, and we're going to be discussing that in a little while.
