CNN host Jake Tapper completely embarrassed himself on live television by begging top Trump administration official, Ambassador Mike Waltz, to let the network come back on Air Force One after President Donald Trump gave them, Politico, and MS NOW the boot from White House grounds and from doing any sort of interviews with him.
The groveling was cut into a clip and posted on social media and it truly is pathetic to watch. It starts with Tapper discussing the ban CNN received from the president and how the network, along with five major television networks, is no longer able to fulfill its pool assignment. He then tried to win some favor by slamming former President Barack Obama for trying to freeze out Fox News in 2009.
“Sir, I just want to note. Yesterday, the White House barred CNN from fulfilling our pool assignment on behalf of the five major television networks. As you know, we all pool coverage, and all of our affiliates and subscribers. And I would just ask if you could please convey to President Trump to let CNN back in the pool. It was not okay when President Obama tried to freeze Fox out of the pool back in 2009, and I don’t think we want a world where presidents decide who gets to cover them,” he told Waltz.
The begging did not have the effect that Tapper was hoping for. “Well, I hear you, Jake, but I think we need fair and objective and well-sourced reporting, and I can tell you, as having been the victim of a lot of this nonsense, my family members, and so many others. We need a free and fair and honest press corps without an agenda that tries to take facts to fit a narrative,” Waltz said.
“And whether that is Biden’s inability or the many issues that he had that were whitewashed, and then people came back around with corrections or other issues. So that’s a much longer conversation, and President Trump’s frustrated. By the way, there are over what 50 seats in the press room,” Waltz continued.
“I don’t think all of them, like Washington Post or New York Times, are exactly positive towards this administration, so that’s a false narrative that is about negative reporting. We need fair and objective reporting for the country, and that’s President Trump’s point,” Waltz explained to both Tapper and the viewing audience.
Tapper then fired back, saying the president said there’s something wrong with a country that allows people to report things that are purposely negative, pointing out this was the language Trump used, not his own. “Well, I think he’s going to what I just said in that there is a negative agenda, there is a negative narrative, and then we’re going to get anonymous sources,” Waltz answered.
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“Heck, I just saw a story where anonymous sources were referring to a now dead senator,” Waltz told Tapper. The CNN host then said, “So this needs to be fixed, and President Trump is quite frustrated with this media bias across the board. As has every single president that I’ve ever covered been frustrated with the press. But Ambassador Waltz, I appreciate your time today. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you.”