Trump slams 'stupid question' from female reporter, calls April Ryan a 'loser'
Donald Trump is not backing down from personal attacks on reporters.
On Friday morning, before leaving on a trip to France to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Trump stopped to speak to members of the press. He quickly lashed out at CNN's Abby Phillip when she asked if the new interim Attorney General would try to rein in Robert Mueller's investigation. Trump responded in a vicious tone, "What a stupid question. What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot and you ask a lot of stupid questions."
In fact, Phillip's question was not stupid — it was incredibly relevant as Matt Whitaker, who just took over as interim AG following the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions, has been highly critical of the Mueller investigation.
Statement: @abbydphillip did not ask a “stupid” question today at the White House. In fact, she asked the most pertinent question of the day. The @realDonaldTrump’s personal insults are nothing new. And never surprising.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 9, 2018
CNN PR reiterated this with a tweet Friday afternoon.
SEE ALSO: Trump snaps 'I know you're not thinking' at woman reporter and it only gets worse from there
But Trump didn't stop there. When asked about the White House's decision on Wednesday to revoke press credentials for CNN's Jim Acosta, Trump railed against other reporters and targeted April Ryan, with whom the White House has sparred before, calling Ryan a "loser" and "nasty."
Trump: "The same thing with April Ryan...You talk about somebody that's a loser. She doesn't know what the hell she's doing...She's very nasty, and she shouldn't be."
- The president of the United States attacking a black reporter for doing her job pic.twitter.com/9UMw8jnih9— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 9, 2018
Ryan took the high road on Twitter and also responded to Abby Phillip, who tweeted about Trump's comments.
I love this country and have the most respect for the Office of the President. I will continue to ask the questions that affect America, all of America.
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 9, 2018
Thank you! I am so sorry he said what he said to you!! This is so sad. https://t.co/COzx02vRc2
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 9, 2018
While Trump being nasty to reporters isn't new, there's something especially notable about Friday's insults: They were both targeted at African-American women journalists.
And they come just days after Trump's post-election press conference in which he attacked PBS News Hour's Yamiche Alcindor, another woman reporter of color, calling her perfectly reasonable question about Trump and white nationalists "racist."
The stunning, astounding moment when Trump says @Yamiche’s question about his embracing of being a “nationalist” and emboldening white nationalist is “a racist question” pic.twitter.com/X2uiAc6aBU
— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) November 7, 2018
During that same press conference (the same one during which he sparred with Jim Acosta), Trump bellowed at Ryan as she tried to ask a question about voter suppression.
Trump repeatedly tells April Ryan to "sit down" when she tries to ask him a question pic.twitter.com/6Th5pBxQtU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2018
Attacking the media weren't the only thing on his agenda during Friday morning's press gaggle. He also floated a conspiracy theory surrounding the recount in the Florida U.S. Senate race, defended the doctored video of the Acosta incident shared by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and took shots at both Michelle and Barack Obama.
But if the gaggle is any indication, his war on the press won't stop any time soon.
