Trump administration officials all but admitted that the President was too tired to hold a press conference, by offering up a series of lame excuses for why he has taken no questions from the press during his first foreign trip.
ABC’s Jon Karl reported on the White House’s latest excuse for Trump not holding a press conference:
Gary Cohn says @POTUS couldn't do a presser b/c he had a “robust schedule†& “worked non-stop"; his predecessors managed to do both
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) May 27, 2017
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NBC’s Andrea Mitchell pointed out that the event the administration held on Saturday morning was not a news conference:
Not a news conference !! No cameras and 1st POTUS to avoid reporters since these summits started decades ago https://t.co/aJf7gQNPgj
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) May 27, 2017
Journalists and political pros quickly saw through the White House’s excuse:
It's almost like this president lacks stamina or something. https://t.co/aJmRgs0ycM
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 27, 2017
No stamina?
Maybe he just needs to nap. https://t.co/ufCWCZLQwp
— Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) May 27, 2017
The White House isn’t fooling anyone. They are trying to keep Trump away from any unscripted setting where he will be asked or talk about Russia. The administration admitted that by day two of the trip, Trump was exhausted. The President was too tired to hold a press conference, and the White House doesn’t trust a tired or rested Trump to talk about Russia.
A man who ran for president based on his stamina and energy doesn’t have enough energy to make it through a foreign trip and talk to the press. Trump doesn’t belong in the White House. He belongs in a gated retirement community.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association