Trump responded to losing to CNN in court by threatening to leave if reporters aren’t nicer to him and members of his administration.
Trump said, “We are writing up rules and regulations to make a position. I they you were treated very unfairly, and both of you, unfairly, because you have somebody interrupting you, and if they don’t listen to rules and regulations, we will end up back in court, and we win. But more importantly, we’ll just leave. And then you won’t be very happy because we do get good ratings.”
The president was asked, “You talk about rules and regulations, what do you mean?”
Video:
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Trump responded to losing to CNN in court by threatening to leave if reporters aren't nicer to him and members of his administration. https://t.co/Rwq7sZySFC pic.twitter.com/SOmL6jbazR
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) November 16, 2018
Trump answered, “Decorum. You can’t take three and four questions and just stand up and not sit down. You have to practice decorum. You were there. You understood. And you understand. We want total freedom of the press. That’s very important to me. More important to me and anybody would believe but you have to act with respect. You are in the White House. When I see the way some of my people get treated at press conferences, it is terrible. We are setting up a certain standard which is what the court is requesting. But that’s the way it is. And we always have the option of just leaving. You know? If we feel that things aren’t being treated properly, that people aren’t being treated properly, we always have the right to leave and I think the other media, the other press in the room will not be very happy if that happens and instructed my people when they’re not treated properly, you have the right to just leave.”
Trump lost to CNN, so he is running away from questions
The White House is trying to cook up some rules to limit how many questions the press can ask and if they can challenge statements made by members of the administration. Trump’s rules are an attempt to silence and control the press.
CNN beat Trump is court because a president can’t take away someone’s press pass without due process because he didn’t like a question.
This isn’t about “decorum.” It is about the free press’s ability to hold the government accountable. Trump is suggesting that if he can’t throttle the press into submission, he is going to leave and not talk to reporters.
It would probably be good for cable news if Trump left, because contrary to his claims, ratings are not good for his appearances on television.
Trump’s message is that reporters need to be nice to him or he will leave.
The bully lost in court, so he is threatening to take his ball and go home.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
