Trump Hits ABC Chief WH Correspondent So Hard He's Literally Left Sputtering
It’s a normal part of responsible news reporting to ask tough questions and to not let the subjects of those questions get away with non-answers. However, there is a massive difference between being a responsible reporter and being an activist.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl got a little more than he bargained for when he stepped into the world of activism when questioning President Donald Trump about the government shut down and border wall funding.
And Trump didn’t take it lying down.
Some would say Karl got humiliated by Trump. And the whole thing was captured on video for the entire world to see.
Very unbiased, No opinion, Just Straight news reporter @jonkarl Thinks he can do a better job than @realDonaldTrump . WATCH HIM GET WRECKED …. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #Shutdown #buildit pic.twitter.com/VuK1QA9v5n
— Stephanie Hamill (@STEPHMHAMILL) January 9, 2019
The smackdown from Trump began with Karl asking, “So, why not sign the other bills though, so some of these workers can get paid, the government…” That is where Trump cut him off, asking, “You think I should do that?”
Karl could be heard stammering when Trump hit again. “You think I should do that, Jon?”
“I mean, it’s not for me to say,” Karl responded. But perhaps he should have thought of that before he asked the question that implied it was.
Trump again called him out. “And I watch your one-sided reporting. Do you think I should do that? Hey, Jon, no, seriously, do you think I should just sign?”
Karl didn’t sound as confident as he had a moment before in his reply. “Well, the argument … ” he began, and again Trump stopped him in his backtracking, seeking an answer to his original question.
“No, tell me. Tell me.”
Here Karl’s response was not quite caught on microphone well, but then the last part of what he was saying did come in clearly: ” …if you sign these bills that have nothing to do with border security.”
Trump still refused to let him off the hook.
“Jon, you think I should just sign?” he asked.
Karl stammered in reply, “I, I, I’m saying that if you sign that these workers can start getting paid, uh, the government can start … “
Karl just busted himself on his activism and again Trump interrupted to call him out on it.
“So, you would do that if you were in my position? You’d do that?”
Karl sounded a bit beaten down as he attempted to redeem himself. “I’m not in your position. I’m asking you if you …” Trump cut him off to again press the issue.
“I’m asking you,” Trump said. “Would you do that if you were in my position?”
As Karl again began sputtering and stammering, in his attempt to formulate a response. Trump then, perhaps mercifully, took the kill shot.
“Because if you would do that, you should never be in this position. Because you’d never get anything done.”
He then ended the interview and sent everyone on their way.
In an odd way, it was almost as if the roles were reversed.
Of the two, it is a president who should be the one pushing an agenda and the reporter who should be the one pressing hard for an actual answer.
That ability to turn the tables so quickly and with such agility seems to be one of Trump’s talents.
Oddly enough, activist reporters still have not learned their lesson.
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