President Donald Trump held his pandemic press briefing in the Rose Garden on Sunday—but his mood was far from rosy.
One particularly heated exchange came when he took a question from PBS NewsHour's White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.
Alcindor asked Trump about the the skepticism he expressed that New York—the epicenter of the health crisis facing the United States—was exaggerating the number of lifesaving ventilators it needs to help curb the virus.
Trump interrupted Alcindor, claiming he "didn't say" that, then proceeded to berate her for her so-called "threatening" question.
Watch below.
Alcindor asked:
"You've said repeatedly that you think that some of the equipment governors are requesting, they don't actually need. You said New York might not need 30 thousand—"
Trump interrupted:
"I didn't say that. I didn't say that. Why don't you people...why don't you act in a little more positive? It's always trying to get me. Getcha, getcha. You know what, that's why nobody trusts the media anymore."
Though the President didn't reciprocate, Alcindor remained professional and repeated her question despite the President's attacks on her journalistic integrity in front of her colleagues.
What's more, Alcindor was right—and video proves it.
Alcindor referred to statements Trump made on far-right Fox News host Sean Hannity's show.
Watch below.
Trump said:
"I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they're going to be. I don't believe you need 40 thousand or 30 thousand ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, they'll have two ventilators and now all of a sudden they're saying, 'can we have 30 thousand ventilators?'"
Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has made clear that New York has yet to reach the height of the pandemic. The current number of ventilators is not enough to treat all of the infections to come, which could force doctors into rationing them and choosing not to treat patients with less optimistic prognoses.
Alcindor later pointed out that Trump did, in fact, express skepticism that New York was asking for ventilators they didn't need.
People called Trump out for responding to his own words with petty attacks.
They praised Alcindor for holding him accountable when so many others won't.
This was far from the first time Trump personally attacked Alcindor for doing her job.
Astonishingly, Trump denied his own words again in the same press conference when CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond asked Trump to elaborate on his Friday statements that governors aren't being "appreciative" enough of him and his administration.
If a President isn't beholden to congressional oversight, basic transparency, and even his own words, how can he be beholden to the American people?
For more stories of Trump's ineptitude from people who were there, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.
