On Tuesday, all three network morning shows were united in promoting NBC News reporter Kristen Welker shouting an impeachment question at President Trump during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. A soundbite of the brief exchange was featured on each broadcast, amid coverage worrying about Democrats being divided over the issue.
“Earlier in the day, the President brushing off the prospect of impeachment at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll,” correspondent Peter Alexander proclaimed on NBC’s Today show as he teed up a clip of his colleague Welker yelling this question to Trump during the event: “Are you worried about impeachment, Mr. President?” The President replied: “Not even a little bit.”
Alexander sneered at Trump’s confident response: “But his tweets appear to tell a different story, venting his anger. Writing, ‘Only high crimes and misdemeanors can lead to impeachment.’”
Even the NBC morning show’s main competitor, ABC’s Good Morning America, touted Welker’s question. White House correspondent Jonathan Karl noted, “Regardless, President Trump insists he’s not concerned in the least,” before playing the clip.
On CBS This Morning, following the footage of Welker grilling Trump on impeachment, correspondent Nancy Cordes declared: “But even as President Trump shrugged off the notion at the White House Easter Egg Roll, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, was issuing yet another subpoena.”
Welker hurling a hostile question at the President during a normally light event for families at the White House was reminiscent of CNN’s Jim Acosta showing up to Easter Egg Roll last year to accuse Trump of trying to “kill DACA” when shouting questions about illegal immigration.
While Welker was busy Monday trying to hunt for impeachment reaction instead of eggs, on Easter Sunday, MSNBC sent reporter Mike Viqueira to stalk Special Counsel Robert Mueller outside of his church to attempt an ambush interview about the Russia investigation.
The media effort to politicize non-political settings with nasty questions knows no bounds.
