I have had my difficulties appreciating The Donald’s sense of humor, but during his Presser yesterday, he was cool, calm, measured … Presidential, and delivered one of the most brilliant set up lines in history. He made the press look like a bunch of dyspeptic gibbons. Admittedly, a low bar.
“Why do you keep calling this the ‘Chinese virus’?” the White House correspondent asked. “There are reports of dozens of incidents of bias against Chinese Americans in this country. Your own aide, Secretary Azar, says he does not use this term. He says, ‘Ethnicity does not cause the virus.’ Why do you keep using this?”
The president responded, “Because it comes from China.”
“People say it’s racist,” Vega continued.
Trump answered, “It’s not racist at all. No. Not at all. It comes from China. That’s why.”
That was just battlespace preparation…
“At least one White House official who used the term ‘Kung flu,’ referring to the fact that this virus started in China,” PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor said in reference to CBS News’s Weijia Jiangan, who alleges that a member of the Trump administration used that term in her presence.
“Is that acceptable?” Alcindor continued. “Is it wrong? Are you worried that that having this virus be talked about as a ‘Chinese virus,’ that that might help – ”
The president interjected at that point to ask for more details regarding Jiangan’s “Kung flu” allegation.
“Do you know who said that?” he asked.
“I’m not sure the person’s name,” said Alcindor, “but would you condemn the fact —
“Say the term again,” the president asked.
Alcindor obliged, saying, “Kung flu.”
“‘Kung flu’?” Trump asked.
“Say the term again?”
Brilliant. Hilarious.
Then he gets to repeat the dreaded term. Deadpan!
I don’t think Alcindor yet knows how thoroughly she was pwned.