There’s a history here
President Trump held a press briefing at the White House Monday to deliver an update on the administration’s efforts in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. It was all pretty basic back-and-forth between Trump and the White House correspondents present, until toward the end. As happens, one reporter tried to make an answer from Trump into a personal affront against her specifically because of her ethnicity. It didn’t end well.
CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang tried to pick a fight with the president after he responded to a question she asked. She used her time to put him on the spot with a pointed, personal question. Addressing his way of speaking when he updates the press on efforts being made by the White House coronavirus task force, she wanted to know why he used language that sounds competitive against other countries. He often says the United States is doing more testing than any other country, for example. She pressed the issue and asked, “Why does that matter? Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives?”
Trump turned the question back on her and suggested she ask China about results. Jiang is an Asian American, born in China and raised in West Virginia. She was two years old when her family immigrated to the United States.
“Well, they’re losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe that’s a question you should ask China,” Trump said. “Don’t ask me. Ask China that question. OK? When you ask them that question, you may get a very unusual answer.”
She didn’t like that answer and took it personally. She was determined to turn his answer into a racist comment. She lowered her face mask so that her face was exposed and shot back, “Sir, why are you saying that to me, specifically — that I should ask China?” Trump responded by saying, “I’m not saying it specifically to anybody.” I’m saying it to anybody that would ask a nasty question like that.” Jiang argued that is was not a “nasty question” and again asked why it matters. Bored with the exchange by then, Trump called on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins who was sitting near Jiang. Collins did what is now something the agitators in the White House press corps do – she said she’d give time to Jiang to continue the line of questioning. So, since she wasn’t doing her job, Trump started to skip her and move on to yet another reporter but Collins pushed back, saying it was her turn.
