Sebastian Gorka at the center of Rose Garden ruckus following Trump event Hunter Walker,Yahoo News 10 hours ago
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Hunter Walker, Yahoo News 10 hours agoThe fracas followed an event that was billed as a “news conference” in which Trump announced an executive order directing U.S. agencies to provide the Commerce Department with all available data on the citizenship and non-citizenship status of everyone living in the country.
The Rose Garden event followed the social media summit and many of the same conservative media figures attended both, sandwiched between the president and the White House press corps.
When Trump finished speaking, CNN political analyst Brian Karem and former White House deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka exchanged words across the rope line that separated the two groups. Karem said something inaudible that prompted Gorka to charge across the garden and get in front of him.
“You’re not a journalist! You’re a punk!” Gorka fumed.
Gorka turned and walked away as the president’s other guests chanted his name.
One reporter from the White House press corps admonished Gorka as he left.
“You should not be attacking journalists like this!” she said.
Another man who was with the media contingent invited by the president came to Gorka’s defense.
“Just for the record, he’d kick your punk ass,” the man said to Karem.
Karem responded by shaking his head and walking towards the man. Security stepped in and guided Karem away.
Former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka confronts reporter Brian Karem in the White House Rose Garden. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)
The surreal scene was the culmination of a day when Trump aired a long list of grievances about the mainstream media and major technology companies. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, Trump told his guests that they were “fulfilling a vital role in our nation ... challenging the media gatekeepers and the corporate censors to bring the facts straight to the American people.” In the nearly hour-long speech, Trump repeatedly suggested there was a conspiracy that was preventing him from having more followers and viewers on social media platforms.
"There's no doubt in my mind that I should have millions and millions — I have millions of people, so many people I wouldn't believe it, but I know that we’ve been blocked,” Trump said. “People come up to me and they say, ‘Sir, I can’t get you. I can’t follow you.’”
Trump’s comments echoed persistent complaints from conservatives that Facebook and Twitter are biased against them. But there is no research indicating that right-wing content has been systematically disadvantaged on social media platforms.
The group invited to Trump’s social media summit included conservative activists, meme creators and pro-Trump media personalities. A source familiar with the planning of the event confirmed the country’s two largest social media companies, Facebook and Twitter, were not invited to participate. According to Vice News, the only social media network that publicly indicated it would be participating is Minds.com, a fringe site that is has been “home to several neo-Nazi extremist groups .”
Following the president’s remarks, the group moved out into the Rose Garden for what was essentially an inverted version of a normal presidential news conference. Typically, when the president steps into the Rose Garden for an announcement, it occurs under sunny skies with a group of distinguished guests and the White House press corps seated behind them. On Thursday, as Trump walked out in the Rose Garden, thunder rumbled and dark clouds filled the sky above the White House. The largely pro-Trump contingent from the summit sat on chairs and the credentialed media was roped off and standing behind them. Some of the president’s guests turned towards the press corps to take pictures and mock them.
Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
“Fake news panorama,” said Gorka as he pointed his phone at the reporters.
In a White House where the administration has eliminated press briefings and taken away passes that allow reporters access to the building, the upside down press conference had the air of prophecy. It was a glimpse of a future where the president leaves major media outlets on the outside and instead speaks to a handpicked groupof admirers.
Yet even in front of his friendly audience, Trump’s willingness to engage with the media was limited. The Rose Garden event was billed as a “news conference,” which typically includes at least a couple of questions and White House staffers were seemingly prepared fort that, with microphones at the ready. However, when he was done speaking about his latest executive order, Trump turned and walked back into the Oval Office without taking questions — even from members of the right-wing press.
“Talk to us! The real news!” one of the president’s guests shouted in vain.
After the president exited, the two groups of media made their way to the exits and Gorka had his clash with Karem. In an email to Yahoo News shortly afterwards, Karem said the incident began when he “invited him [Gorka] to go and talk outside.”
“I didn't think the Rose Garden was the appropriate setting. But he took it to mean, as he later explained, that I wanted to be physical,” Karem said. “My intention was never to provoke a physical confrontation in the Rose Garden.”
Karen also said he went up to Gorka after their exchange and offered to shake hands, but Gorka refused.
Gorka told Yahoo News he responded because Karem was “challenging me to a fight in the Rose Garden” and asked him to “come outside” and “settle this.” He added that Karem was a “punk of a guy.”
As Gorka walked off in the wake of the war of words, the conservative singer and activist Joy Villa called out to the White House press corps.
“Fake news is over, be real journalists,” Villa said.
Villa was wearing a red, white and blue dress emblazoned with the word “Freedom.” As she showed it off, Yahoo News asked if she thought freedom meant yelling at journalists. Villa said her only objection is to “fake news.”
“Just report fairly. We want to love you guys. Journalism is a real art,” Villa said. “Don’t report fake news. Don’t lie to us, the American people. … Don’t just report bad things.”
Villa’s comment echoed what Trump himself had told his audience at the social media event.
"To me, free speech is not when you see something good and then you purposely write bad,” Trump said. “To me that's very dangerous speech, and you become angry at it.”
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What a freak show of neo-nazis (Gorka) looney tunes (Villa) and thugs Gorka again and another man who was with the media contingent invited by the president came to Gorka’s defense).
“Just for the record, he’d kick your punk ass,” the man said to Karem.
Karem says to Gorka "step outside" to "settle this" and you cast Gorka as the thug. I hope you realize you have it backward.
Did Tessylo even imply that there was only 1 thug in the room?
The surreal scene was the culmination of a day when Trump aired a long list of grievances about the mainstream media and major technology companies. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, Trump told his guests that they were “fulfilling a vital role in our nation ... challenging the media gatekeepers and the corporate censors to bring the facts straight to the American people.” In the nearly hour-long speech, Trump repeatedly suggested there was a conspiracy that was preventing him from having more followers and viewers on social media platforms.
"There's no doubt in my mind that I should have millions and millions — I have millions of people, so many people I wouldn't believe it, but I know that we’ve been blocked,” Trump said. “People come up to me and they say, ‘Sir, I can’t get you. I can’t follow you.’”
Trump’s comments echoed persistent complaints from conservatives that Facebook and Twitter are biased against them. But there is no research indicating that right-wing content has been systematically disadvantaged on social media platforms.
What an impotent little turd - I have millions of people, so many people I wouldn't believe it -
Freudian slip there scumbag? We all know a lot of your followers are scam accounts.
Must stroke your enormous bloated ego.
This is a tiny preview of next year.
Are moderates and independents going to step up to the plate and put an end to this preposterous freak show in the 2020 election, or are they going to doom America to four more years of the worst presidency in the history of the nation?
"After the president exited, the two groups of media made their way to the exits and Gorka had his clash with Karem. In an email to Yahoo News shortly afterwards, Karem said the incident began when he “invited him [Gorka] to go and talk outside.”
“I didn't think the Rose Garden was the appropriate setting. But he took it to mean, as he later explained, that I wanted to be physical,” Karem said. “My intention was never to provoke a physical confrontation in the Rose Garden.”
I think we can figure out how that was said and what Karem really meant. The msm gets what it deserves after lying to the American people for almost 3 years. CNN is near collapse, the New York Times is no longer "the paper of record" and punks like Karem and Jim Acosta get called out for their activism!
Gorka and another man who was with the media contingent invited by the president came to Gorka’s defense:
“Just for the record, he’d kick your punk ass,” the man said to Karem.
The White Trash House is nothing but a freak show of neo-nazis, looney tunes and thugs.
The Rump administration are the punks!
Vic, you are turning yourself into a caricature day by day. In his remarks yesterday Trump admitted that his "social media" supporters ,that he invited to the WH, make stuff up. He joyously referred to their collective output as "unbelievable crap" as if he is proud of it, and he is.
The sane people in America need to redouble their efforts against the plague of Trumpism.
The sane people are the ones you should worry about the most!
That makes no goddamned sense.
According to Wiki he said:
Little punk deserved to get dressed down.
What a prick ..... sounds like some people i know here.
If you are Dennis Prager, a relatively respectable conservative author and advocate (You Tube channel "Prager University), why would you attend a "summit " which included internet news hoax-ter Jim Hoft, right wing conspiracy nuts , and social media far right instigators , such as Sebastian Gorka?
Once again Trump has embarrassed the nation with this absurd "summit". I dont know if the attendees from conservative social media are into demonic possession, but I know their output on the internet is almost completely worthless.
If you are into kooky, emotionally driven comments, i suppose you enjoy folks like Brian Karem.
In which case you might be a moonbat just like them. A kooky, crazy little moonbat. Flitting about in the moonlight ......
I have barely heard of Brian Karem, and dont really know what he does on a daily basis.
President Trump held a "summit meeting" yesterday in the White House, to which he invited a pack of right wing liars, cranks, crackpots, grifters, and Trump ass kissers. Otherwise known as Trump's social media advocates. Trump himself acknowledged that these people are maliciously looney tunes when he laughed and congratulated them for writing "unbelievable crap" on his behalf.
So what? I've barely heard of Gorka either.
The left wing media continues with it's clown car full of TDS ridden moonbats. Most of whom have all failed journalism 101 by being highly biased and driven largely by emotion only and not by established facts/logic requisite of any good journalist.
Guess we can add Karem to that clown car now.
I read the same story about CNN on fox news...it was nothing but spin, hyperbole and bullshit. In other words, fake news.
I would add, Vic, that just because a guy who has told in excess of 10,000 lies in two years tells you the media is lying to you, doesn't make it fact. And please, try to remember....the first thing a cult leader tells you is that everyone else is lying to you.
Without a script to protect him, Trump admitted that his social media supporters are liars and deceitful conspiracy theorists and propagandists. He just doesnt think there is anything wrong with it
Well freak shows are a segment of the Carnival scene that our government has become. The only thing missing was the cotton candy.
More people should see videos of these exchanges just so they understand that they have put their trust in a bunch of phonies. These guys sit down at their keyboards or get in front of a mic or camera and sell America on the idea that they are all rational, impartial professionals. The reality is it's like high school out there.
Obviously you are talking about anything even remotely connected with the current occupant of the White House.....
And people will still call him transparent...
Gorka. Bannon. Miller. And all the rest.
Putin has made his moves.
Elect a clown, expect a circus.