In what looks like perhaps a new policy altogether for the network, MSNBC elected not to air the White House’s first press briefing in nearly a month — since October 29, before the midterm election — instead showing their normal programming of Velshi & Ruhle, who were discussing the disastrous effects of both Trump’s tariffs and his comments on General Motors, whose stock has taken a dive today after the President’s dizzying reversal of conservative policy regarding private business.
Earlier this month, the cable news powerhouse did the same with a speech from Trump on immigration, although in that instance they merely chose not to air it live. Anchor Nicole Wallace first reviewed the speech and fact-checked it in real time before airing the President’s remarks, which turned out to be not much more than a rant about immigrants in the caravan that the administration used to some effect in the run-up to the November 6 vote.
Lis Power of Media Matters for America tweeted a live shot of four main networks — CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and Fox Business — while the director of Trump’s economic council, Larry Kudlow, was speaking at the presser:
MSNBC is opting not to air the White House press briefing (which so far has just been Kudlow)
Time will tell if this is a new MSNBC policy. They also didn’t air a Trump speech from a month ago out of “an abundance of caution” due to all of Trump’s lies https://t.co/6iveNypD09 pic.twitter.com/KEPGNwYHyo
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) November 27, 2018
During the briefing, Kudlow and National Security Adviser John Bolton both took questions, although they dodged on the most pressing inquiries from reporters, such as why the White House is preventing CIA Director Gina Haspel from testifying before the Senate regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi., Likewise, Bolton punted on a question about whether the United States had sought preauthorization for the chemical attack the US Border Patrol launched into Mexico after Trump created a giant backup at the San Ysidro crossing by closing the port of entry.
Hopefully, more networks will follow suit, now that the administration has demonstrated its willingness to lie about even easily-provable facts by using doctored video and constant repetition of false statements about the press.
Featured image via screen capture
