Trump has repeatedly praised CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash for their “fairness” in the debate last month. He uses them as the example of everything a journalist should be. Why? Because they never fact checked him even once during the debate.
Apparently Trump expects that from everyone:
Moments before former President Trump took the stage at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday, the organization’s president was called back to address an issue. Trump did not want to be fact-checked live and was refusing to go on stage, NABJ president Ken Lemon told Axios. “[Trump’s team] said, ‘Well, can you not fact check? He’s not going to take the stage if you fact-check,'” Lemon said.
The Q&A with the GOP presidential nominee was delayed more than an hour before he eventually joined a panel of Black journalists, including ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba.
At the time, President Trump blamed the delay on audio problems. Lemon told Axios, “There were audio problems, but they were resolved very quickly.” “The bigger problem was his threat not to take the stage when he had agreed to go on. He did not want to be fact-checked, but we could not let him on the stage without fact-checking,” Lemon said.
The stalemate was so prolonged that NABJ leaders were prepared to explain to the audience of nearly 2,000 people why Trump would not appear.
“I was prepared to go on stage to craft a statement, saying he decided not to go on stage because of fact-checking… we couldn’t compromise on that. As Lemon was preparing that statement, Trump walked onto the stage.
Yes, he went on stage and complained like some elderly dowager countess about being treated disrespectfully by the help when the reporter asked him tough questions about his record and previous comments. It was one of his most embarrassing encounters ever.
The campaign apparently asked them not to post the fact check or mention it on stage. But they did anyway, Good for them.