After a contentious White House briefing in which NBC reporter Peter Alexander derided the President for “giving Americans false hope,” Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd on Friday darkly warned that the “pressure” might be “getting to” Donald Trump.
During the briefing, Alexander demanded, “Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope by misrepresenting the preparedness right now?” Using the attack question as proof, Todd later asked Alexander, “Is the pressure getting to the President here? He seems very defensive.”
Alexander somehow deemed his question a “softball.”
You and I are baseball fans. We call it a softball. I was trying to provide the President an opportunity to reassure millions of Americans who are witnessing the death toll reach 200 and the number of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, approaching 14,000 or surpassing it, what he would say to Americans who were scared.
He complained, “The President as you witnessed instead took it out on me and said that I was a terrible reporter.” Todd comforted his colleague and at the same time lashed out at Trump:
Peter, on behalf of my colleagues here, and all of our colleagues, I want to thank you for your professionalism and the way you do represent NBC News and the Comcast family in that room. I wish the people on the other side of the podium had the same professionalism as well. So, thank you, Peter.
Alexander later released a statement in which he implied that Trump is too rich to relate to people.
A transcript of the exchange is below. Click “expand” to read more:
NBC Live coverage of White House press conference
2/20/2020
2:28 PM ET
CHUCK TODD: Let me go to Peter Alexander. He was in the briefing, as you just saw. He’s now at the White House. And look, I think we got a taste, the President – and I guess, Peter, I should ask it this way – is the pressure getting to the President here? He seems very defensive. Particularly, I think we saw a great example at the end. Dr. Fauci gave a straightforward honest answer about the testing challenges that have been a problem from the get-go here. And the President, you could see him goose the Vice President, “Don’t you want to answer that?” And the President, of course, came in with suddenly a new spin on what happened there. Is he – is the pressure getting to him?
PETER ALEXANDER: I think Americans will make their own judgment based on what they saw here, Chuck. I mean, obviously they are looking for a president and a task force in whom they can be confident and feel safe and secure knowing that everything's being done to help protect them at home right now. As you witnessed, there was a moment, you and I are baseball fans. We call it a softball. I was trying to provide the President an opportunity to reassure millions of Americans are witnessing the death toll reach 200 and the number of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, approaching 14,000 or surpassing it, what he would say to Americans who were scared.The President as you witnessed instead took it out on me and said that I was a terrible reporter. I mean, clearly this was an opportunity for him to be positive and to be uplifting. Optimistic as he likes to be. I asked him before that, which I think frustrated him perhaps, is whether it's his impulse to put a positive spin on things is that maybe giving false hope to Americans. As we witnessed, he said just yesterday about some of those possible therapies that he, that there would be immediate delivery. Dr. Fauci himself said there was no magic drug for coronavirus. But just to really underscore this moment, I asked the same question, Chuck, as you witnessed of the Vice President about an hour later in that briefing and he provided the answer that frankly a lot of Americans at home, my neighbors with whom I speak are looking for, which is to the question of should Americans be afraid? Should they be scared? He said, “Don't be afraid. Be vigilant.”
TODD: Peter, on behalf of my colleagues here, and all of our colleagues, I want to thank you for your professionalism and the way you do represent NBC News and the Comcast family in that room. I wish the people on the other side of the podium had the same professionalism as well. So, thank you, Peter.
