CNN anchor John King slammed President Trump’s attack on an NBC reporter at a White House briefing Friday as “bullshit.”
Trump was angered after Peter Alexander asked whether he was giving Americans a false sense of hope with his optimism about a malaria drug’s potential use in response to the coronavirus.
“What do you say to Americans watching right now who are scared?” Alexander asked, citing the rising number of cases of and deaths from the coronavirus.
“I say that you are a terrible reporter, that’s what I say,” Trump said. “I think that’s a very nasty question. And I think that’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people.”
King noted that the president has routinely bashed media outlets, particularly NBC and CNN, both in his capacity as president and on the campaign trail.
“This is a Trump trademark, it was striking that this … forgive, bullshit attack on fake news came just moments after the secretary of State said the American people need to be careful about where they get their information and go to sources they can trust,” he said.
“I understand there are at times disagreements, there are at times contention between politicians and reporters — that was a 100 percent legitimate question with no hype, no shade, bias — he just wanted to attack,” King added.
King, a former White House correspondent, added that the president’s behavior lacks precedent.
“I sat in that room for just shy of 10 years. That was a perfectly valid question, and what the president did to Peter Alexander is reprehensible,” he said. “The American people are looking for answers, they do want hope, they do want support.”