Trump Campaign Blames Journalists Who ‘Live on Twitter’ for Candidate’s Offensive Tweets

Conway, Christie, Pence Struggle to Defend GOP Nominee’s Shameful Exploitation of Tragedy

Donald Trump’s campaign attempted Sunday to defend the GOP presidential nominee’s latest offensive tweet — a horrific post from Saturday in which he sought to exploit the tragic murder of NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin in Chicago. 

During an interview with Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, Face the Nation‘s John Dickerson noted that when terror attacks and other incidents occur, Trump’s “first instinct is to talk about himself, his policies, to see tragedies as a validation of what he’s been saying.” 

“Is that healthy for a presidential candidate to do that?” Dickerson said. 

“I know the media live on Twitter, but most Americans see what he does on a weekly basis, which is he gives policy position speeches,” Conway responded. “He’s out there actually taking his case to the people.” 

Conway also told Fox News Sunday she was pleased that Trump later expressed condolences to Wade’s family (in a tweet that was apparently sent by his campaign staff), before reminding host Chris Wallace that she’s still “new to this post.” 

Meanwhile, Trump transition chair and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed the controversy over the tweet on the media’s focus on “process”: 

And GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence simply said Trump “has a plainspoken way about him.”