The journalists at Nightline could barely contain their contempt for Donald Trump at Wednesday’s press conference, mocking it at a “hyperbolic,” “circus”-like atmosphere. Without providing a lot of context about the unverified claims made by BuzzFeed and repeated by CNN, Jon Karl worried, “Unbelievable. I mean, to see a President-elect of the United States call out a news consideration.”
Reporter Cecilia Vega slimed, “I think the one guarantee we have, there will always be a prop [at Trump press conferences] and it will always be a circus.” Regarding the President-elect’s comments on health care and immigration, “Juju Chang sneered, “All in true Trump fashion. Light on specifics, heavy on hyperbole.”
Discussing the press conference in totality, Vega and Karl marveled:
CECILIA VEGA: Have you ever seen anything like this?
JON KARL: No!
On Thursday morning, the networks blamed Trump for “lashing out” and “punishing” CNN. Just as with Nightline, there wasn’t much discussion of the ethics of highlighting BuzzFeed’s sleazy, unverified accusations.
A partial transcript is below:
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Nightline
1/12/17 (1/11/17 on west coast)
12:41JUJU CHANG: Major mainstream organizations chose not to publish the entire unsubstantiated report. However, it didn't protect CNN from Trump's wrath.
DONALD TRUMP: Your organization is terrible. Your organization is terrible.
JIM ACOSTA: Can you give us a chance ask a question, sir? Sir—
TRUMP: You are fake news.
CECILIA VEGA: So, some fireworks.
JON KARL: Unbelievable. I mean, to see a President-elect of the United States call out a news consideration.
VEGA: Have you ever seen anything like this?
KARL: No!
...
TRUMP: I hope at the end of eight years I'll come back and say [to my kids], “Oh, you did a good job. Otherwise if they did a bad job I'll say, “You're fired.”
VEGA: I think the one guarantee we have, there will always be a prop and it will always be a circus.
...
CHANG: As for the idea that Putin wanted to tilt the election toward a Trump victory?
DONALD TRUMP: If Putin likes Donald Trump, guess what, folks, that's called an asset. Not a liability.
CHANG: In between the fireworks, in what little time was left, the President-elect doubling down on the big issues that carried him to the White House.
TRUMP: Our trade deals are a disaster. We're going to build a wall. We are going to have health care that is far less expensive and far better.
CHANG: All in true Trump fashion. Light on specifics, heavy on hyperbole.
TRUMP: I will be the greatest jobs producer that God ever created. And I mean that.
