« You can pick a reporter, a Baltic reporter ideally. Real news, not fake news. »
President Trump yet again embarrassed the United States on a global stage on Tuesday afternoon, when — following a meeting with the Baltic heads of state where he proposed having military guard the Mexican border — he held a joint press conference with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite in the East Room of the White House.
At one point, Trump instructed President Vejonis to pick a reporter to ask a question, in the most cringe-inducing way possible. “Pick a reporter, please? You can pick a reporter, a Baltic reporter ideally,” he asked Vejonis, who grinned awkwardly. “Real news, not fake news.”
The room broke out into nervous, awkward laughter, but he wasn’t done.
“Do you want to pick? I think we have enough, yes? Go ahead, pick! Mr. President, pick a reporter from the Baltics,” Trump continued, clearly commanding a stunning read of the room. “Not the same man, he was very tough. Go ahead, pick a reporter.”
Well jeez, maybe if you’d let the poor guy talk. In the end, Vejonis attempted to ask a question only to have Trump cut him off and point at a Baltic reporter.
