pbs newshour
Top stories
Trump Now Claims He 'Didn't Say' New York Was Exaggerating Its Ventilator Needs, but Video Shows Otherwise
President Donald Trump held his pandemic press briefing in the Rose Garden on Sunday—but his mood was far from rosy.
One particularly heated exchange came when he took a question from PBS NewsHour's White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.
Alcindor asked Trump about the the skepticism he expressed that New York—the epicenter of the health crisis facing the United States—was exaggerating the number of lifesaving ventilators it needs to help curb the virus.
Trump interrupted Alcindor, claiming he "didn't say" that, then proceeded to berate her for her so-called "threatening" question.
Watch below.
WATCH: @Yamiche asks President Trump to clarify his comments second-guessing the number of ventilators governors sa… https://t.co/B95UOsxmS8— PBS NewsHour (@PBS NewsHour) 1585532731.0
Alcindor asked:
"You've said repeatedly that you think that some of the equipment governors are requesting, they don't actually need. You said New York might not need 30 thousand—"
Trump interrupted:
"I didn't say that. I didn't say that. Why don't you people...why don't you act in a little more positive? It's always trying to get me. Getcha, getcha. You know what, that's why nobody trusts the media anymore."
Though the President didn't reciprocate, Alcindor remained professional and repeated her question despite the President's attacks on her journalistic integrity in front of her colleagues.
What's more, Alcindor was right—and video proves it.
Alcindor referred to statements Trump made on far-right Fox News host Sean Hannity's show.
Watch below.
On Hannity, Trump says he doesn't believe NY Gov. Guomo actually needs the ventilators he's asking for. TRUMP: "I… https://t.co/29VKVfZh7Y— Pod Save America (@Pod Save America) 1585273808.0
Trump said:
"I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they're going to be. I don't believe you need 40 thousand or 30 thousand ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, they'll have two ventilators and now all of a sudden they're saying, 'can we have 30 thousand ventilators?'"
Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has made clear that New York has yet to reach the height of the pandemic. The current number of ventilators is not enough to treat all of the infections to come, which could force doctors into rationing them and choosing not to treat patients with less optimistic prognoses.
Alcindor later pointed out that Trump did, in fact, express skepticism that New York was asking for ventilators they didn't need.
President Trump to Sean Hannity: “A lot of equipment is being asked for that I don’t think they will need.” My Q:… https://t.co/9C4ENHUFLW— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche Alcindor) 1585521177.0
People called Trump out for responding to his own words with petty attacks.
The most puzzling part about this was that @Yamiche was simply quoting Trump when he started lecturing her about be… https://t.co/hJmEZyAdtn— Weijia Jiang (@Weijia Jiang) 1585521388.0
@RepBJNikkel @Yamiche @POTUS Nobody believes you @RepBJNikkel , not even conservatives like me. @yamiche did not ev… https://t.co/tKUbDhTkdW— L Lohr (@L Lohr) 1585528351.0
It's come to this. Trump finds its threatening to have his own words read back to him by @yamiche.— Jack Shafer (@Jack Shafer) 1585521342.0
They praised Alcindor for holding him accountable when so many others won't.
Trump doesn't know how to act when he's held accountable. And think about all the men around him who won't stand up… https://t.co/8gsNgwSW3f— Hey, what up Cynthia? (@Hey, what up Cynthia?) 1585530017.0
My colleagues at the WH are doing incredible work despite being disrespected and attacked for simply quoting Trump’… https://t.co/yn3iMrSlCd— Abby D. Phillip (@Abby D. Phillip) 1585522821.0
Thank you @Yamiche for doing your job as a journalist by holding Donald Trump accountable and asking him questions… https://t.co/eCV0BGNJwW— Karine Jean-Pierre (@Karine Jean-Pierre) 1585563219.0
Incredible job by @Yamiche. She ignored Trumps attacks and lies and kept asking the same question over and over— Ellen Kurz (@Ellen Kurz) 1585521051.0
This was far from the first time Trump personally attacked Alcindor for doing her job.
Astonishingly, Trump denied his own words again in the same press conference when CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond asked Trump to elaborate on his Friday statements that governors aren't being "appreciative" enough of him and his administration.
If a President isn't beholden to congressional oversight, basic transparency, and even his own words, how can he be beholden to the American people?
For more stories of Trump's ineptitude from people who were there, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.