Trump Exits Presser After Tense Exchanges

CBS Reporter Weijia Jiang

President Trump abruptly left his coronavirus news conference in the Rose Garden on Monday after tense exchanges with two female reporters, reports The Hill.

The president took questions for nearly 40 minutes after delivering remarks touting his administration's efforts to scale up coronavirus testing. But the briefing ended suddenly after Trump clashed with journalists from CBS News and CNN with whom he has previously sparred.

Weijia Jiang of CBS asked Trump, who frequently compares the United States's testing ability and mortality rate with those of other countries, why the statistics surrounding the virus are a "global competition" to him.



"Well, they’re losing their lives everywhere in the world, and maybe that’s a question you should ask China," Trump responded. "Don’t ask me. Ask China that question, OK? When you ask them that question, you may get a very unusual answer."

"Why are you saying that to me specifically?" asked Jiang, who was born in China and raised in West Virginia.

"I’m not saying it specifically to anybody. I’m saying it to anybody that would ask a nasty question like that," Trump replied before moving on to another reporter. The president has frequently blamed China for the outbreak, suggesting the country could have stopped the spread of the coronavirus had it acted sooner.

.@kaitlancollins allowed me to ask a follow up question after the President called on her, and then @Yamiche deferred to Kaitlin. I am fortunate to work alongside them. https://t.co/aG1F3xYIQO

— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) May 12, 2020

When CNN's Kaitlan Collins then attempted to ask a question, the president sought to move on and call on a different journalist. The president claimed Collins didn't immediately respond when he called on her. When she persisted in trying to ask a question, Trump ended the news conference and walked back into the Oval Office.