An unfolding terrorist attack in New York City wasn’t enough to derail CNN’s obsession with Donald Trump. Forty minutes after suicide bomber Akayed Ullah attempted on Monday to murder people with a bomb, New Day journalists lost interest. Co-host Alisyn Camerota had more important topics: Trump’s appreciation of Diet Coke.
At 7:58 a.m. ET, the journalist broke in with this developing story: “We do have some breaking news we are following right now because there are emergency crews in New York City. They are responding to some type of possible explosion. We understand it’s near the Port Authority bus terminal.” By 8:38am, she was moving on: “We do have more information for you about President Trump's habits inside the White House.”
At 8:43am ET, Camerota breathlessly related a New York Times piece on Trump and soda:
This is about his Diet Coke habit.... Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day.
The co-host chided, “When I read this, I think, “This is not what doctors would recommend. This is not the healthiest diet.”
Clearly, this is an important breaking news story as there was an ISIS-inspired attack in one of America’s biggest cities. Priories, CNN. Priorities.
A partial transcript of when CNN broke in and some of the soda coverage is below:
New Day
12/11/17
7:58am ETALISYN CAMEROTA: We do have some breaking news we are following right now because there are emergency crews in New York City. They are responding to some type of possible explosion. We understand it’s near the Port Authority bus terminal.
8:38am ET
CAMEROTA: We do have more information for you about President Trump's habits inside the White House
8:43am ET
CAMEROTA: This is about his Diet Coke habit. Let me read it to you. "Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day." If you add this, Michael, to what his former — Corey Lewandowski, his campaign manager has a new book out about some of these very things. Corey's book is called "Let Trump be Trump." Here's what he writes. "On Trump Force One, there were four major food groups, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke.”
When I read this, I think, this is not what doctors would recommend. This is not the healthiest diet. However, obviously, President Trump seems to have boundless energy, so what does your reporting suggest?
