Media Reaction To Yamiche Alcindor Dustup With Trump Shows Why Their Approval Ratings Are Low
By: Mollie Ziegler Hemingway
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The ongoing dysfunctional codependent relationship between the political media and President Donald Trump flared up again on Sunday afternoon during a Rose Garden press conference on the government’s handling of the Wuhan virus that has swept the globe.
Trump needs the media to act the way they do so he can dunk on them and look good by comparison. The media are enjoying the short-term rush of their war with Trump, wearing his abuse as a badge of honor among their peers.
On Sunday, the media were pretty sure they had Trump in a bind when he reacted negatively to a question by PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor. You can watch the whole shebang here , but her first question was about Trump’s comments from a few days ago about ventilator needs and whether they were being exaggerated by some politicians. While the question was typically accusatory, it was somewhat mild compared to many of her typical questions.
Still, in response, he accused her of being negative and then gave a winding three-minute answer in which he complimented her and critiqued her again. Vintage Trump. She wanted a second question and he said it wasn’t fair for other reporters. When he called on a CNN reporter a bit later, that reporter yielded to Alcindor. She asked another accusatory question suggesting it was insane to worry about widespread suicide or depression resulting from an economic catastrophe.
Then followed the CNN reporter’s question. It was a train wreck. Also accusatory, the reporter snipped a quote to make Trump sound like he’d said something different than what he’d said at a previous press conference. Trump forced him to read the quote in context, showing that the accusatory “gotcha” question was not an accurate depiction of what had been expressed.
In this sense, all three questions were absolutely golden for Trump, who could tee off on them in the way he tees off on most political media.
But political media really thought the moment went well for them. Maggie Haberman of The New York Times spun the exchange (and added some trademark Haberman mindreading) as if it were “triggering” for the president widely known for enjoying dustups with his media foes. Philip Rucker of the Washington Post dramatically claimed that Alcindor “routinely gets under his skin with probing questions,” and said Trump was “losing his cool, again.” The Obama bros who host “Pod Save America,” excitedly announced that Alcindor — “The incredible reporter who puts up with this shit from Trump all the time” — would be their next guest.
Many media figures spent the evening doing something very constructive. How constructive? Well, they worked really hard to get #WeLoveYamiche trending on Twitter! “What did you do during the Coronavirus Era, grandpa?” “Well, I spent some evenings trying to get a hashtag trending, and other similar important work, much like firefighters do.”
It is sad that some people think getting something trending, if it was indeed trending, is how one wins an argument. But such is the high-level thinking we’re dealing with these days.
In any case, as trust in media remains low , it is worth noting that Alcindor may be a perfectly fine reporter at times, but she also has done her fair share to make people think she’s similar to her peers in terms of extreme bias and sensationalism.
Most recently, she was the reporter who wasted valuable time asking President Trump if he approved of something that supposedly someone in the White House said to a reporter, although the reporter refused to identify the person in question. The supposed thing that supposedly happened was that someone — we don’t know who — called the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, the “Kung Flu” virus. It was an utterly ridiculous question during a global pandemic even if the event had verifiably happened.
Alcindor was also one of the reporters who deceptively edited a quote to make it sound like Trump had told governors they were on their own, when in fact he had explicitly said the federal government would help them if the more efficient method for acquiring needed goods was a bust.
Alcindor has at times been a poster child for press bias toward Trump, such as in an incident where she sounded more like President Barack Obama’s personal press secretary than a White House reporter. CNN has praised Alcindor for her support of the Russia collusion narrative . She complained when President Trump visited troops in Iraq, suggesting it was nothing more than a political rally. Of Communist China , she wrote, “your chances of improving your station in life there vastly exceed those in the United States.”
Alcindor is not consistently accusatory or hostile toward politicians. Sometimes she is very favorable or gentle toward them, such as when Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., proposed restricting Americans’ 2nd Amendment rights if she were elected president. Alcindor praised Democratic Sen. Michael Bennett, D-CO, when he railed against Republicans on the Senate floor for the government shutdown.
This was way back to last year, when journalists cared about the economic consequences of federal workers not being paid for a few weeks. Alcindor claimed people were scraping together their last pennies and Bennett “losing it on the Senate floor in that way was really a lot of Americans saying, ‘We can’t take this anymore.'”
When Jussie Smollett made his rather difficult-to-believe claim about being brutally attacked by a culturally astute roving gang of MAGA-hat-wearing bigots , Alcindor totally bought it. “We have to do better as a country. This is disgusting,” she wrote.
She’s also the reporter who accused people who support the national interest of being racist .
Alcindor clearly has many friends in the press corps, and they were elated to have a chance to defend her. It’s always good to have friends who defend you when powerful people critique you.
The incident is a good time to remember, though, that the country would benefit from a press corps less concerned with their cliques and more concerned about the American public they ostensibly report for. Perhaps it’s time to give political reporters a rest from the White House briefings and replace them with public health, mental health, business, education, and other beat reporters.
Trump flourishes the more the White House press corps is riddled with political activists posing as journalists. But the country might fare better with more informed questions from reporters able to think through issues less politically.
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway is a senior editor at The Federalist. She is Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College and a Fox News contributor. She is the co-author of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court .
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It's too bad the media can't simply report the news rather than trying to control it. No wonder they lost the trust of the American people.
Stable genius:
Trump tried to flex by asking a reporter about the population of Seoul - then he got it wrong
Why don't we focus on Alcindor's latest escapade? You know, the article!
Now you know that can't happen here. This country and this website are harshly divided between the two camps. And as much as one side requests that we try to bridge gaps the other side comes along to trash talk. And it's people from both sides who are doing both actions...
Rather often this site reminds me of old beer commercials...
What you say sounds somewhat logical, BUT there will be no bridging of gaps. Here we are facing two horrors - a deadly pandemic and the economic depression that is coming and with all of that we are not rallying around the President. There is only one way to put it into perspective - the election of Abraham Lincoln. Remember that Lincoln said "A house divided cannot stand?" Upon his election the South seceded from the union. In other words one side was never going to bridge a gap. It was the democratic party then and it is the democratic party now. This can only be resolved as it was then - with one side prevailing - the right side!
Here you go again comparing the idiot Trump to America's greatest president. This is why the right on Newstalkers cannot be taken seriously.
Alternative news= alternate reality.
I'm comparing the division in the country with that of the 1850's-60's.
It's sad that you can't tolerate the two Presidents mentioned in the same breathe, just try and concern yourself with the point I raised.
Vic, you have repeatedly compared Trump to Lincoln in terms that are favorable for Trump. It is absolutely ludicrous.
The answer to that is YES, I once did but not in this case. Reading comprehension dictates that today's comparison involved the division of today with that of the 1850's. That's twice. ("3 times for the normal mind" Sister Theresa used to say)
It is absolutely ludicrous.
Your'e being ludicrous. We know your opinion of Trump and I'm not interested in hearing it again.
What is so sad is they can't ever discuss any topic other than their unbridled hate for the President.
You are a propagandist for Trump and Trumpism. I dont think even you would deny that.
We can't get you off of Trump. Stop the name calling!
The article is about media bias.
Either contribute or leave.
BTW, I just want to point out something. John just called me a "propagandist". He got to do that right here on WTP. If I had called him that my comment would have been deleted.
Vic, I have had far far more comments than you deleted. You are not even in the ballpark.
Don't even go there. There is a sick double standard built right into the system. It started around 2007-2008 when the media began calling George W Bush a Nazi. The problem was that it was allowed!
Now once again - let's stick to the topic. (I already have one Persona Non Grata listed.)
As opposed to the left who have been throwing a temper tantrum since November 2016 and supporting every conspiracy theory and hoax all because they can't handle the loss?
About 70% of what is on Newstalkers is leftist whining. And god forbid somebody pose an opposing view on these "articles".
I wonder if President Trump is going to lock down all 57 states? what do you think?
That's all you've got whataboutism
I stopped there. Any article or poster that refers to COVID-19 as the "Wuhan virus" is not coming from an honest place to inform. The term only used by those on the right that want to be confrontational and not informational. I'm not going to debate with anyone trying to support such misanthropic attitudes either.
Ok, then that will be it for you.
Later
Another thing the media had a hard time with was the President calling Mike Lindell up to say a few words:
The My Pillow guy Mike Lindell says this: "God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools & lives, a nation had turned its back on God. I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word. Read our Bible"
"Trump just called the “My Pillow” guy up to the podium in the Rose Garden. You cannot make this stuff up".....Al Veshi
Mike Lindell may have made 50 thousand hospital masks to help fight the Coronovirus
Actually he said he made 10,000 last week and by this Friday hoped to be up to 50,000 a day.
The current market for face masks is much more lucrative than pillows...
The President is already confident enough to be promising them to Italy and Spain...
You are the individual I was talking about.
This is what landlords would call an "order to quit."
Vic,
Per the CoC, you are supposed to be a good host to everyone on your seed. SP comment should be welcomed here, as this is a public group and he is not breaking any rules.
Despite his proselytizing, Mike is a good businessman, he only converted 75% of his factory to the new more profitable masks he can sell for dollars instead of pennies. When the masks are overstocked and lose value, he can switch back to pillows.
I have purchased his pillows before. Decent pillows that are overhyped and way overpriced.
So because he converted only part of his factory to make a product that is desperately needed right now, well, of course let's ridicule the guy and question his motives.
/S
What on earth does proselytizing have to do with business acumen?
What connection did you make?
Do you think people who speak out about their faith are dummies when it comes to business--like S. Truett Cathy?
Yes, it is indeed sad to see some Americans virtually cheering for the virus instead of for its end.
I wonder where their real loyalties lie.
I'm sorry you interpreted that way. I complemented him on his business intelligence.
How many $40.00 pillows do you think he will sell in a recession?
Making masks for $7.00 apiece with a decent profit margin is a smart decision for him, his employees and the health workers, maybe even us.
Just as smart as not making masks that only sell for 85 cents.
Vic only wants pro Trump propaganda on his seeds.
So why include the totally unnecessary "Despite his proselytizing" comment? Couldn't resist getting a dig in at people who are religious?
I took it EXACTLY the way you wrote it
.
if you want me to take it another way, then reframe your post where it is impossible for me to think you meant to demean him for being (gasp!) religious.
Mike is a very interesting man.
On his "own", he was a complete flop, a drug addict who ended up divorced and foreclosed upon.
Like quite a few others he found sobriety in prayers, reading the Bible etc. back in 2009.
Finally clean and sober,
his 2004 pillow "invention" finally took off in 2010, enabling him to become a multimillionaire,
produce his own documentaries about himself, and recently started the Lindell Foundation and Lindell
Recovery Network which is funded by his recently released auto biography.
He also accepted an honorary degree from Liberty University recently.
Good for him.
But I have no more interest in hearing him preach from the White House Rose Garden podium
than I would like to hear here some other religious POV from Louis Farrakan or the Reverend Moon.
No, do you have any other ridiculous conclusions?
So don't listen anymore. Easy enough to do.
I reach my conclusions from what you posted. If you want me to draw different conclusions, then amend your statements or don't post on an open forum.
I knew exactly what your intent was in including that quip about "despite his proselytizing" and anyone with even the most rudimentary comprehension skills would be capable of seeing what your intent was in making that particular comment.
Sorry, I do not yet have the super power to hear what a speaker is going to say, before he says it.
Since it was a WH press conference, I think it's important to pay attention, don't you?
Amend my statements to appease you specifically? We have about as much chance of that happening as me not posting on an open forum.
My intent was to express my annoyance with something that was immaterial and out of place, but you keep on trying to analyze everyone here, sometimes it's even entertaining in a Carnac the Magnificent kind of way.
I think it is important. Of course, I am not the one who complained about it, am I? I am also not that easily offended that I get upset because I hear something.
Spin it however you wish. I know the truth.
That's funny since you are so easily offended by so many things that you see or "hear" here.
Sure you do /s
Now, please have the last word.
Bull.
Yep!
If you insist.
Caio!
The point is we should be glad he’s making any masks at all and attacking him for expressing his faith or for not going 100% into mask production is petty.
I certainly did not attack him for not going 100% into mask production and
I clearly gave him props for being savvy about his business decisions and his success with pillows
in spite of his clearly troubled past.
Thank you very much.
As far as kissing any President's ass on such a national platform and making it all about God and religion,
that part I could do without, no matter who drank the koolaid.
Have to go for a little bit to listen to the President deal with the reality of this mess.
Then I don’t see the point of the comment, I guess.
I don’t see the value of being bothered by it, much less complaining about it. I’d say if his good deed comes with a dash of proselytizing, it’s worth it. It costs you nothing. Why give him a hard time for it? I just take it as who he is. I don’t assume he’s trying to brainwash me or anything.
All these so-called journalists are fantasizing that they will break the next Watergate scandal. Their main focus is boosting their own careers. Serving the public interest is way down on their list of priorities.
you sure have that right. But the last time I said I didn't trust our main-stream media I sure got attacked...
Nah. The only ( low ) is Trump and his apologists.
Alcindor's question and observation is legitimate. The president's response was typical and illegitimate.