Trump Lashes Out at Media in ‘Unhinged’ Press Conference: Alec Baldwin and More Stars React

Tierney McAfee
Updated

Celebrities including J.K. Rowling, Alec Baldwin and Josh Gad are up in arms on Twitter after President Donald Trump held a combative, marathon White House press conference on Thursday in which he accused America’s news media of being “out of control.”

The president called the press conference to announce his new pick for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, after his first pick, embattled fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, withdrew on Wednesday.

But the presser quickly went off the rails as Trump switched gears to vehemently defend his presidency and lash out at the “dishonest” press for publishing “fake news,” including about his Russia scandal.

“The press has become so dishonest that if we don’t talk about it we are doing a tremendous disservice to American people,” Trump told reporters.

“The media is trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made, and they’re not happy about it, for whatever reason,” he added. “I turn on the news and I see stories of chaos. And yet it is the exact opposite. The administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.”

At one point in his lengthy address, Trump told the room full of reporters, “I’m not ranting and raving. I’m just telling you you’re dishonest people.”

Many stars took to Twitter during and after the press conference to speak out against Trump.

CNN’s Jake Tapper called the press conference “unhinged” and “wild.”

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He added, “I can’t believe there are Republicans on Capitol Hill and in the White House that don’t understand that might play well with the 44 percent of the population that voted for the president, but a lot of Americans are going to watch that press conference and say, ‘That guy isn’t focused on me, I don’t even know what he’s focused on.’ ”

Trump is also under fire for asking a black journalist to set up a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). The reporter, April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks, had asked Trump during the press conference whether he planned to include the CBC in conversations about his “urban agenda.”

“Well, I would. I tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting?” Trump said.

When Ryan pointed out that she’s a reporter, Trump replied, “Are they friends of yours? No, go ahead. Set up the meeting.”

The CBC responded on Twitter, writing:

Actress Yvette Nicole Brown also reacted to the moment on Twitter.

“Did he just ask #AprilRyan if the Congressional Black Caucus are friends of hers? Because we ALL know each other (& look alike) amirite?” she wrote.