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‘Chicken’: Trump Trashed for Holding ‘Stunt’ Press Briefing Hours After Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker

President Donald Trump is being severely criticized for holding what was billed as a surprise “press briefing” just hours after Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House.
Reporters expecting press secretary Sarah Sanders were surprised to see President Trump, and for the first time ever, walk to the White House press room podium. He was surrounded not by high-level members of his administration, but by border patrol agents identified as members of the border patrol union.
The “briefing” was not an actual press briefing. President Trump refused to take questions, and spoke for just a few minutes. In a stunning move, he allowed Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, to speak. The NBPC is the union that represents federal border patrol agents.
Donald Trump invited National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd to speak at a surprise press briefing.
“Anywhere that you look where we have built walls—they have worked. They have been an absolute necessity for Border Patrol agents in securing the border,” Judd said pic.twitter.com/9ULSK8phUs
— POLITICO (@politico) January 3, 2019
Former DOJ spokesperson for Attorney General Eric Holder, Matthew Miller, and others, scalded Trump for using federal agents for political purposes:
Bringing active federal law enforcement agents to the WH podium like this for a political press conference is a gross abuse of power and does immeasurable harm to the agencies they represent.
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) January 3, 2019
Is it me or is what’s happening at the White House podium right now wildly inappropriate?
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) January 3, 2019
As the president walked away CNN’s Kaitlan Collins shouted, “Will there be no questions [taken] today?” She followed up with this criticism:
It’s not a press briefing if you don’t take questions.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 3, 2019
Needless to say, President Trump was thoroughly trashed in the media and on social media, especially for trying to usurp Speaker Pelosi’s time in the spotlight.
“Donald Trump couldn’t stand it that Nancy Pelosi was the center of attention today,” conservative pundit Bill Kristol said on CNN, “so he had to butt in at 4:30 in the afternoon. It’s pretty disgraceful.”
CNN’s Brianna Keilar added: “To be clear, this is a stunt.”
CNN Senior White House Correspondent:
President Trump leaves briefing room without taking questions — making it crystal clear that it was a political dog-and-pony show, rather than an attempt to answer questions about opening the government. No questions taken by Trump or Sanders in first WH briefing of year.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) January 3, 2019
More:
Chicken. https://t.co/3KUbkw8EPc
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 3, 2019
And then there’s this: pic.twitter.com/XMT1XPzYfa
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 3, 2019
First time on-camera briefing in the press room in two years. What a coincidence that he decided to do it on the day Pelosi was elected Speaker. pic.twitter.com/WpE8HdvQYF
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 3, 2019
Trump repeats the same tired talking points to make a case for a wall. He then walks off without taking questions. And with that the briefing ends.
Bizarre, and pointless. pic.twitter.com/J6CcEJ529U
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 3, 2019
Someone was unhappy there was so much news coverage of the Democrats today.
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) January 3, 2019
it’s like he can’t stand Pelosi getting all the day’s headlines
— Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell) January 3, 2019
Shame on you for that pathetic stunt in the briefing room. Once again, you acted like a COWARD and refused to take questions. You could’ve just tweeted that BS. You’re never ever EVER getting that moronic wall… #Trump
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) January 3, 2019
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