It was Good Friday, but the White House Briefing Room saw quite the duel when President Trump nuked CNN chief White House correspondent and opposition party figure Jim Acosta for taking issue with what he felt was too much hope and optimism amidst the coronavirus pandemic and not enough negativity.
At one point, the President obliterated Acosta with the seemingly obvious, which is that these briefings are “not happy talk” but “sad talk” and “the saddest news conferences that I’ve ever had” because “this is the real deal” having to deal with matters of life and death.
Starting at the beginning, Acosta started not with a question but an opinion that CNN “hear[s] from a lot of people who see these briefings as sort of a happy talk briefings” and that really no hospital or state has even close to what it needs.
Trump asked for names and when Acosta couldn’t answer after a tense back-and-forth, Trump called CNN’s coverage “fake news” to Acosta’s dismay. Trump added that of course Acosta’s hearing nothing but negativity because guests “always say that because otherwise you're not going to put them on.”
The President then turned on the afterburners, trashing Acosta’s nonsense and putting in perspective how difficult this has been and will continue to be, including the fact that “this is the real deal” and finding the safest time to reopen the economy will be “by far the biggest decision of my life” (click “expand”):
TRUMP: This is not happy talk. Maybe it's happy talk to you, not happy talk to me, talking about death, talking about the greatest economy in the world. One day, I have to close it off and we did the right thing because maybe it would have been two million people who died instead of whatever that final number will be which could be 60, could be 70, could be 75, could be 55. Thousands of people have died. There’s nothing happy about it, Jim. This is sad talk. [INAUDIBLE ACOSTA TALKING] This is saddest --- these are the saddest --- these are the saddest news conferences that I've ever had. I don't like doing them. You know why? Because I'm talking about death, I'm talking about taking the greatest economy ever created with the greatest numbers. We've ever had in almost every aspect of economics from employment to companies. Look at the airlines. They were having the best year. Now all of a sudden, we have to save them, okay? There is no happy talk here, Jim. This is the real deal and I've got to make the biggest decision of my life, and I've only started thinking about that. I mean, I've made a lot of big decisions. You understand that, as is by far the biggest decision of my life because I have to say, okay. Let’s go.
ACOSTA: What about doctors when you have hospital administrators ---
TRUMP: This is what we’re going to do. Sure, but you say many doctors who have an unbelievable job…I mean, Governor Cuomo just told me a little while ago, he's got plenty of beds. In fact, they’re having a hard time filling Javits Center, built them 2,900 beds. So, that's not a fair question.
ACOSTA: But when you’re sanitizing masks ---
TRUMP: Jim, I --- look, Jim. Jim, Jim ---
ACOSTA: --- and you’re talking about reusing PPE ---
TRUMP: Jim, Jim ---
ACOSTA: --- obviously ---
TRUMP: No, no.
ACOSTA: --- we don’t have enough.
TRUMP: Excuse me. We have masks, we have everything, and we were trying to get ready for the surge and a lot of people said it will never happen. Deborah said it, you'll never need that many beds. They said we needed 40,000 ventilators. 40,000. It’s like building a car. 40,000 ventilators, people said --- I felt it too. You’ll never need that many. Guess what? We have tremendous --- we have --- we’re the envy of the world.
Trump continued by stating that he “give[s] tremendous credit to the military” and other agencies like FEMA and torched the CNNer’s nonsense as disrespectful to them: “The job they've done is incredible and you shouldn't be asking that kind of a question, Jim. Honestly.”
Always thinking of himself as the hero, Acosta continued to beclown himself until Trump had enough seeing as how he was being “very insulting” to the work done by “a lot of great people” (click “expand”):
ACOSTA: But do you accept the criticism that --- but do you accept the criticism that had the country been better prepared at the onset of this ---
TRUMP: You shouldn't be asking that kind of a question. You should say you know what? It's been really incredible ---
ACOSTA: That’s what we’re hearing, Mr. President. That’s the reality.
TRUMP: --- what's been happening. Jim, nobody's asking.
ACOSTA: Your four million tests. That’s not enough for everybody around the country.
TRUMP: Let me ask you this. What governor --- We have more tests than anybody in the world. We have ---
ACOSTA: That’s not enough for what’s need right now.
TRUMP: --- we have virtually every country in the world calling us, asking us how do we get these tests that you have? Your testing is the best in the world, how do we get it? They've done a fantastic job. And when you ask a job like that, it's very insulting to a lot of great people.
Earlier in the briefing, Acosta tagged teamed with NBC’s Peter Alexander as the pair wondered whether Trump would (intentionally) put the lives of Americans in dangers by reopening the economy before health experts say so.
“So, I guess, the question is, Mr. President, should Americans have to decide between staying healthy and going back to work,” Alexander wondered, to which Acosta later asked Trump if he “will…listen to them” if they say May 1st is too soon.
Obviously, Trump said he would listen to them, but he had to repeat it over and over so as to debunk the liberal media notion that Trump would put money over lives.
To see the relevant transcript from April 10’s briefing, click “expand.”
White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing
April 10, 2020
3:56 p.m. EasternJIM ACOSTA: Mr. President, we hear from a lot of people who see these briefings as sort of a happy talk briefings and ---
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No happy talk today.
ACOSTA: --- yeah and some of the officials paint a rosy picture of what is happening around the country. If you look at some of these questions, do you have enough masks? No. Do we have enough tests? No. Do we have enough PPE? No.
TRUMP: Why would you say no? The answer is yes. I think the answer is yes. Who said no to that?
ACOSTA: I’m saying these are quote –-
TRUMP: No, no. You’re saying no. But who said no?
ACOSTA: We hear --- we hear from ---
TRUMP: But do we have enough masks? Yes.
ACOSTA: --- doctors, we hear from health experts.
TRUMP: No, no. You didn’t say that. You said do we have enough masks?
ACOSTA: Does the country?
TRUMP: Yes. Do we have enough tests? Yes. Plus, we are developing new tests.
ACOSTA: But there aren’t.
TRUMP: Do we have enough --- do we have enough ventilators? Yes. Do we have enough hospital beds? Yes. We built 20,000 hospital beds. We have enough hospital beds. Go ahead, Jim. Let’s go.
ACOSTA; What do you say to --- I mean, you watch the coverage ---
TRUMP: You know what I say?
ACOSTA: --- a lot of coverage when these doctors who ---
TRUMP: Well, a lot of it is fake news.
ACOSTA: --- no, no ---
TRUMP: A lot of it’s fake news.
ACOSTA: --- it’s not.
TRUMP: A lot of it’s fake news. Let me just tell you ---
ACOSTA: --- when the doctors and the medical experts ---
TRUMP: --- the governors --- the governors report ---
ACOSTA: --- come on our air and say we don’t have enough tests. We don’t have enough masks.
TRUMP: --- yeah, depending. On your air, they always say that because otherwise you're not going to put them on. The governors have said last night they had a group of governors, 14 governors that were together someplace and they said it's been unbelievable what’s happened. We've been totally responsive. Ventilators. Everyone has the ventilators they’re need to the point where we are getting calls from foreign countries saying you have all the ventilators, can we get some? And we’re going to try to help some of these countries. These people have done an incredible job. This is not happy talk. Maybe it's happy talk to you, not happy talk to me, talking about death, talking about the greatest economy in the world. One day, I have to close it off and we did the right thing because maybe it would have been two million people who died instead of whatever that final number will be which could be 60, could be 70, could be 75, could be 55. Thousands of people have died. There’s nothing happy about it, Jim. This is sad talk. [INAUDIBLE ACOSTA TALKING] This is saddest --- these are the saddest --- these are the saddest news conferences that I've ever had. I don't like doing them. You know why? Because I'm talking about death, I'm talking about taking the greatest economy ever created with the greatest numbers. We've ever had in almost every aspect of economics from employment to companies. Look at the airlines. They were having the best year. Now all of a sudden, we have to save them, okay? There is no happy talk here, Jim. This is the real deal and I've got to make the biggest decision of my life, and I've only started thinking about that. I mean, I've made a lot of big decisions. You understand that, as is by far the biggest decision of my life because I have to say, okay. Let’s go.
ACOSTA: What about doctors when you have hospital administrators ---
TRUMP: This is what we’re going to do. Sure, but you say many doctors who have an unbelievable job. I watched this morning and I watched a certain network and it wasn't Fox, and you had doctors saying that we've done an incredible job. You just read off these no, no, no. We have ventilators, we have equipment, we have beds, how about beds? I mean, Governor Cuomo just told me a little while ago, he's got plenty of beds. In fact, they’re having a hard time filling Javits Center, built them 2,900 beds. So, that's not a fair question.
ACOSTA: But when you’re sanitizing masks ---
TRUMP: Jim, I --- look, Jim. Jim, Jim ---
ACOSTA: --- and you’re talking about reusing PPE ---
TRUMP: Jim, Jim ---
ACOSTA: --- obviously ---
TRUMP: No, no.
ACOSTA: --- we don’t have enough.
TRUMP: Excuse me. We have masks, we have everything, and we were trying to get ready for the surge and a lot of people said it will never happen. Deborah said it, you'll never need that many beds. They said we needed 40,000 ventilators. 40,000. It’s like building a car. 40,000 ventilators, people said --- I felt it too. You’ll never need that many. Guess what? We have tremendous --- we have --- we’re the envy of the world. Germany would like some, France would like some. We’re to help countries out, Spain needs them desperately, Italy needs them desperately, Mexico needs some desperately, he asked me last night would it be possible to get 10,000 ventilators. Within a short period of time, I'll be able to help out Mexico, No, Jim, just the opposite of your question. It’s not no, no, no. It’s yes, yes, yes. We’re great shape and you know what? What's happening now is those numbers horrible, but take a look at the number of beds, we have beds available over New York. New York being the epicenter. New York has something that has been absolutely horrific. I saw Harts Island yesterday. I saw those people being buried yesterday. Fortunately, we have the beds and you can speak to Mayor de Blasio. You can speak to Governor Cuomo, people can't even believe the job we've done. They can’t even believe and I give tremendous credit to the military. This has been a military operation with private people. But wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait. I give tremendous credit to our military, to the Army corps of engineers, to FEMA, to these people. The job they've done is incredible ---
ACOSTA: But do you accept the criticism that ---
TRUMP: --- and you shouldn't be asking that kind of a question ---
ACOSTA: --- but do you accept the criticism that had the country been better prepared ---
TRUMP: --- Jim, honestly.
ACOSTA: --- at the onset of this ---
TRUMP: You shouldn't be asking that kind of a question. You should say you know what? It's been really incredible ---
ACOSTA: That’s what we’re hearing, Mr. President. That’s the reality.
TRUMP: --- what's been happening. Jim, nobody's asking.
ACOSTA: Your four million tests. That’s not enough for everybody around the country.
TRUMP: Let me ask you this. What governor --- We have more tests than anybody in the world. We have ---
ACOSTA: That’s not enough for what’s need right now.
TRUMP: --- we have virtually every country in the world calling us, asking us how do we get these tests that you have? Your testing is the best in the world, how do we get it? They've done a fantastic job. And when you ask a job like that, it's very insulting to a lot of great people.
