President Donald Trump slammed a partisan, left-wing CBS News reporter on Sunday who has a history of making a public spectacle at the White House Coronavirus Task Force news conferences.
Weijia Jiang, the reporter who claimed without evidence that a member of the Trump administration called the coronavirus the “kung flu” to her face, rushed to the defense of communist China over comments that Trump made last week.
Jiang was mad over the following comment from Trump on Thursday: “I was angry because it should’ve been told to us. It should have been told to us early. It should have been told to us a lot sooner. People knew it was happening and people didn’t want to talk about it.”
When asked if he was talking about China, Trump responded, “They should have told the rest of the world too.”
Jiang launched into an attack on Trump over his comments suggesting that he knew how bad the situation in the U.S. was going to be, and did nothing to prepare America, which is not true.
“Many Americans are saying the exact same thing about you, that you should have warned them that the virus was spreading like wildfire through the month of February instead of holding rallies with thousands of people,” Jiang said. “Why did you wait so long to warn them? And why did you not have social distancing until March 16?”
“You didn’t warn people that it was spreading so quickly!” Jiang later claimed.
Trump pressed Jiang on her loaded question, asking her if she knew relevant information during the time periods that she was attacking Trump over.
“Okay, and you know how many people when I issued the ban?” Trump pressed. “How many cases of virus were in the United States when I issued the ban? Do you know the number? How many cases were here when I issued the ban?”
Jiang tried to deflect, but Trump continued, “No, no, no. You have to do your research.”
“On the 23rd of March, you said you knew this was going to be a pandemic,” Jiang said.
“How many cases were in the United States when I did my ban?” Trump continued. “How many people had died in the United States? … I did a ban where I’m closing up the entire country. How many people died? How many people died in the United States, and yet I closed up the country. And I believe there were no deaths, zero deaths at the time I closed up the country. Nobody was there. And you should say thank you very much for good judgement.”
Jiang was unable to answer any of Trump’s questions as she appeared dead set on trying to be the female version of CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Trump instituted a travel ban on China on January 31 when there were no reported coronavirus deaths in the U.S. and when the total number of cases was in the single digits. On March 1, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. was 89, with two total deaths.
WATCH:
Far-left partisan CBS reporter Weijia Jiang again tried to fight with @realDonaldTrump, reminding us she's not an objective reporter. But Trump wasn't having any of it, calling her out after she started to yell at him. Did she come to debate and push a talking point? Yup. pic.twitter.com/Psbp691p6e
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) April 19, 2020
TRANSCRIPT:
CBS NEWS REPORTER WEIJIA JIANG: Since you shared with us something else that you saw on TV today, I have a question about something you said Thursday, which was that you were angry because information about the virus should have been told to us earlier and a lot sooner. People knew what was happening and people did not want to talk about it. Many Americans are saying the exact same thing about you, that you should have warned them that the virus was spreading like wildfire through the month of February instead of holding rallies with thousands of people. Why did you wait so long to warn them? And why did you not have social distancing until March 16.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Who are you with?
JIANG: I’m Weijia Jiang with CBS News.
TRUMP: So, if you look at what I did in terms of cutting off or banning China from coming in.
JIANG: Chinese nationals, but by the way, not Americans who were also coming from China.
TRUMP: Nice and easy, just relax. We cut it off. People were amazed. These gentlemen. Everybody was amazed what I did. We had 21 people in a room. Everybody was against it but me. Dr. Fauci said [that] had I not done that, perhaps tens of thousands, and maybe much more than that, people would have died. I was very early, very, very early. And we just saw — you saw Bret Baier making a statement. They had a debate well into February and it wasn’t even mentioned, the Democrats. We were very early –
JIANG: You didn’t warn people that it was spreading so quickly! And by the way, when you issued the ban, the virus was already here.
TRUMP: Okay, and you know how many people, when I issued the ban? How many cases of virus were in the United States when I issued the ban? Do you know the number? How many cases were here when I issued the ban?
JIANG: But did you know it was going to spread and become a pandemic?
TRUMP: No, no, no. You have to do your research.
JIANG: On the 23rd of March, you said you knew this was going to be a pandemic.
TRUMP: I did know it … Anybody knew it. How many cases were in the United States when I did my ban? How many people had died in the United States?
JIANG: So, do you acknowledge that you didn’t think it was going to spread? Did you not think it was going to spread?
TRUMP: How many cases were in the United States — I did a ban where I’m closing up the entire country. How many people died? How many people died in the United States, and yet I closed up the country. And I believe there were no deaths, zero deaths at the time I closed up the country. Nobody was there. And you should say thank you very much for good judgement.