CNN's Brian Stelter and the Usual Suspects Run With CBS Journo's Smear on Trump, but It Backfires Big Time

AP featured image — *Brian Stelter attends the 11th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)*

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If we had a White House press corp full of actual professionals with no left-wing political narratives to push and no identity politics axes to grind, the daily White House coronavirus task force press briefings would probably go more smoothly and be more informative.

But we don’t, so we’re stuck nearly every day with a new media-driven manufactured “controversy” about how President Trump and/or a member of the task force was allegedly inconsistent/wrong/pushing dangerous information/racist, etc.

The latter was the case yesterday, as my RedState colleague Bonchie noted earlier in a story about how CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang was up to her old tricks at Monday’s briefing, insinuating Trump was engaging in racism by telling her to “ask China” in response to a strange question she asked the President about testing.

For those who missed it, here’s the clip:

Reporter: Why is this a global competition [on testing] to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives…

Trump: That’s a question you should ask China. Don’t ask me…

R: Sir, why are you saying that to me specifically?

T: I’m not saying it specifically to anybody pic.twitter.com/yL0KHxdoeL

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 11, 2020

Jiang’s “why are you saying that to me specifically?” question was utterly ridiculous, for reasons Bonchie explained in his post. Trump has often spoken of China’s deceptions during press briefings, and his comments on China have most definitely not been restricted to journalists of Asian descent.

Nevertheless, the Usual Suspects in the mainstream media including CNN media firefighter Brian Stelter rushed to Jiang’s defense, suggesting Trump’s answer was part of a larger pattern of Trump allegedly attacking Asian-American and female journalists.

Here’s how Stelter framed the “issue”:

"It is racist to look at an Asian-American White House correspondent and say 'ask China.'

He's had this pattern of reacting to minority journalists in a very specific and different way."@brianstelter accuses @realDonaldTrump of being racist against minority reporters. pic.twitter.com/9WxTtepAan

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 11, 2020

Here’s how the Washington Post framed the “issue”:

Trump ends news conference amid clashes with journalists, after suggesting an Asian American reporter should "ask China" pic.twitter.com/4cmksFhfYu

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 11, 2020

CNN really went for the virtue signaling gold in another segment they did. “CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Kaitlan Collins and Abby Phillip discuss President Donald Trump’s pattern of demeaning female reporters” is how they promo’d it on their website.

Several Twitter users, including GOP campaign officials, let the race/gender pearl clutchers have it:

People are insincerely reacting to the POTUS Weijia Jiang interaction.

Earlier in the presser, Steve Holland asked abt Chinese hackers stealing vaccine research, @realDonaldTrump: "What else is new with China? What else is new? Tell me."

Stop making something out of nothing. pic.twitter.com/YKgzJ7ReIC

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 11, 2020

Trump also answered in a similar way a question regarding China from a reporter not of Asian-American descent. President has been critical of China in every press briefing regardless of who asks the question. But when reflexively pushing a narrative, context becomes inconvenient. https://t.co/oL1oHrHPIw

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 11, 2020

Greg Gutfield in particular unloaded on Stelter:

An analogy: Bob swears at rude drivers often. Then he swears at a rude driver who's not white. CNN says, Aha: Bob's racist. Their grift: ignore the color-blind behavior & selectively pick an instance that enables a smear. CNN must know they're doing this. Trash.

— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) May 12, 2020

If you can send me several other examples of the president saying the words “ask China,” twice, in response to a single question, then your analogy holds up. Until then… it doesn’t.

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 12, 2020

THAT'S your defense? That all Trump's references to China's dealings -from trade to fentanyl to corona – which go back years, publicly – must conform to your desperate specifications? So, it must be "TWICE?" Do you realize how hilarious that is? Go home. Take a bath https://t.co/WeB2danvAt

— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) May 12, 2020

The ratio on Stelter’s reply to Gutfeld was gold:

The ratio here is gold. pic.twitter.com/Mv9J1IBhnl

— Sister Toldjah 😁 (@sistertoldjah) May 12, 2020

The media/left’s routine talking points on China and Trump’s remarks about them are so. danged. tiresome. Definitely not unexpected, though, considering how pushing China’s propaganda about Trump’s response to the virus outbreak being “racist” has been a hallmark of the media’s Wuhan coronavirus coverage since way back when Trump implemented the China travel restrictions at the end of January.

As I’ve said many times before, the MSM are nothing if not a predictable lot (and no, that’s not a compliment, Mr. Stelter).