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President Donald Trump's daily press briefings regarding the global pandemic—which is responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 Americans—have been widely criticized for the constant stream of misinformation and petty insults from the podium.
In a Monday press briefing, the President took that pettiness to a new level when he began the briefing with a campaign-style video aimed at debunking critics of his response to the national health crisis, in particular the scathing piece published by The New York Times over the weekend documenting the numerous failures of Trump's response.
Watch the bizarre video below.
President Trump plays campaign-style video at press briefing defending his response to coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/HwAThsSYCG— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1586816640.0
The video turned a briefing that was supposed to inform the public turned into what can only be described as a meltdown from President Donald Trump.
One reporter asked if the White House—and therefore American tax dollars—paid for the video, which Trump said it did.
Because the video offered no new information on the state of the pandemic and only served to boost the President's ego, numerous media outlets cut away from the ad.
MSNBC was one of those networks, and host Ari Melber explained why.
Watch below.
MSNBC cuts coverage and Ari Melber says they won’t return to the press briefing until they actually start talking a… https://t.co/hM9pdF4VEv— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn Torabi) 1586815970.0
Melber said:
"We are cutting into what was not a White House [virus] task force briefing...We are going to avoid airing any more of this White House briefing until it returns to what it was supposed to be which was the [virus] task force providing medical information. What we just saw—I want to be very clear with viewers—was a video the White House put out which suggests they are spending their precious time right now making videos that defend the president's record and tenure rather than provide the much needed emergency medical information that was promised at these daily briefings."
CNN cut away from the ad as well.
Jim Acosta: “The White House essentially tried to play a campaign style video in the White House briefing room defe… https://t.co/iSMUcIxypI— Keith Boykin (@Keith Boykin) 1586816218.0
The network didn't hold back in their Chyrons describing the meltdown, however.
CNN's chyron: https://t.co/F959i7eWav— Vicky Ward (@Vicky Ward) 1586816961.0
God bless the @cnn #chyron writers! https://t.co/eywfHSDser— xItsMeCristinax⁷ (@xItsMeCristinax⁷) 1586818997.0
Reporters in the briefing room challenged the President in real time.
Here's video of @PaulaReidCBS grilling Trump on what his administration did in the month leading up to the coronavi… https://t.co/c2yWITxl6i— Oliver Darcy (@Oliver Darcy) 1586817268.0
JON KARL: That video looked a bit like a campaign ad. Who put that together for you? TRUMP: "A group in the office… https://t.co/pngrbBtQ8R— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1586816368.0
Others pointed out the misinformation in the ad—including some of the very people who were featured in it.
The president is using audio of me on The Daily to bash my reporting in the paper (though I’m so glad they listen t… https://t.co/fqjijZjN4i— Maggie Haberman (@Maggie Haberman) 1586815758.0
And then he did basically nothing for over a month. Which was our story yesterday.— Maggie Haberman (@Maggie Haberman) 1586815776.0
Trump ad also secretly edits a Biden quote: In the ad, Biden says, "Banning all travel will not stop" coronavirus.… https://t.co/Fz5npxUndD— Aaron Blake (@Aaron Blake) 1586526944.0
Trump is wrong that Biden has "apologized" for calling Trump xenophobic. His campaign says his "xenophobia" comment… https://t.co/a8SbGei2Sa— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1586816743.0
The briefing presented a low point in an already embarrassing tenure as President.
I can't fathom how anyone could watch today's #PressBriefing and willingly allow this piece of garbage four more ye… https://t.co/mr161IDeaq— John Pavlovitz (@John Pavlovitz) 1586819581.0
I am far from a knee-jerk critic of Trump, but this press briefing has to be one of the most embarrassing moments o… https://t.co/q2jfBf9WUk— Robby Soave (@Robby Soave) 1586816941.0
This Trump #PressBriefing is the craziest thing I've ever seen and I once wrote a Christmas movie where they digita… https://t.co/uBckGlm2ZH— Dan Fogelman (@Dan Fogelman) 1586817694.0
I keep wanting to tweet something about what we just witnessed at the White House press conference, but I'm absolut… https://t.co/JQ9QolyGCD— Tom Jones (@Tom Jones) 1586816369.0
People found the video especially disturbing.
Today’s White House briefing just included the airing of a Trump campaign ad. This is not normal.— Connie Schultz (@Connie Schultz) 1586815844.0
As we’ve been watching for weeks, the White House briefing room has steadily morphed into a campaign rally. Tonight… https://t.co/JTH57awQPq— Jeff Zeleny (@Jeff Zeleny) 1586816072.0
As I’m watching this press briefing I’m in total shock that President Trump just showed a propaganda video. It lite… https://t.co/piiBjVhGyK— FTL_Erick (@FTL_Erick) 1586820084.0
This is why you need to register to vote.
For a deeper look into Trump's ineptitude, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.