Donald Trump says at Lincoln Memorial town hall that he’s ‘treated worse’ than Abe by the press – as a supporter asks him why he bullies, rambles and doesn’t answer reporters’ questions
- President Trump was asked by a supporter Sunday night why he didn’t comport himself in a more professional fashion during press briefings
- The supporter specifically asked about Trump’s bullying language, why he didn’t answer reporters’ questions and why he’d ‘generally ramble’
- ‘Look, I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen,’ Trump responded at a Fox News Channel town hall
- He said the closest president to see his kind of bad press coverage was Abraham Lincoln, with Trump making the comment at the Lincoln Memorial
- ‘I believe I am treated worse,’ the president then said. ‘And if I was kind of them, I would be walked off stage’
President Trump was asked by a supporter Sunday night why he didn’t comport himself in a more professional fashion when having his back and forths with the press.
A woman who identified herself as Caroline Perkins asked the president at the Sunday night Fox News Channel town hall ‘why do you not directly answer the questions asked by the press and instead speak of past success and generally ramble?’
‘Look, I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen. The closest would be that gentleman right up there,’ Trump said, pointing to the huge statue of Abraham Lincoln, as the town hall was being filmed at the Lincoln Memorial. ‘I believe I am treated worse,’ he stated.
President Trump was under the shadow of Abraham Lincoln during Sunday night’s Fox News Channel
Caroline Perkins, a Trump supporter, asked him about his ‘manner and presentation,’ mentioning that he often won’t address reporters’ questions head-on and will ‘instead speak of past success and generally ramble’
President Trump said that he acted the way he did, because he was dealing with a ‘hostile’ press. He pointed to Abraham Lincoln and said ‘the closest would be that gentleman right up there. I believe I am treated worse,’ Trump added
Perkins, a retired nurse and elementary school guidance counselor, had gone out of her way to show Trump that she and her family were supporters.
‘We pray for you every day,’ the said.
But then she told the president she had a question about his ‘manner and presentation.’
‘Why do you use descriptive words that could be classified as bullying?’ she said, before also asking him about ignoring reporters’ questions.
‘The USA needs you, please let go of those behaviors that are turning people away from you,’ she encouraged Trump, praising the other ‘wonderful’ attributes he had. ‘Let go of other characteristics that don’t serve you.’
The president laughed when he heard it.
President Trump can be seen underneath the large statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
‘I think I like that question,’ he said, thanking Perkins for her prayers.
Trump then explained that he needed to be combative against a ‘hostile’ media.
‘They come at me with questions that are disgraceful,’ Trump said.
‘And if I was kind of them, I would be walked off stage,’ the president said.
Trump pointed to the ‘tremendous’ support he had from Americans across the country.
On Sunday, specifically, he mentioned some pro-Trump boaters that were photographed out on Florida waters, as some of the COVID-19 related restrictions had been dropped in that state.
‘But the media, they might as well be in the Democrat party,’ Trump complained.
The president started his day – which also happened to be World Press Freedom Day – by launching attacks on the press.
He tweeted Sunday morning, ‘The Fake News doesn’t show real polls. Lamestream Media is totally CORRUPT, the Enemy of the People!’ while boasting that his poll numbers among Republican Party members were at 96 per cent approval.