Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump's Press Secretary Claims Trump Hasn't Cut Back on Press Briefings Despite Not Having One for 3 Days, and Even Fox News Is Confused

Trump's Press Secretary Claims Trump Hasn't Cut Back on Press Briefings Despite Not Having One for 3 Days, and Even Fox News Is Confused
Fox News

UPDATE April 27, 5:34pm: Since publication, McEnany announced that the President would hold a press briefing on Monday evening after all. The article has been updated to reflect this development.

It took a global pandemic and a national health crisis, but after more than a year without a daily White House press briefing, President Donald Trump's virus task force began holding daily updates to keep Americans informed on the expert-recommended precautions and the progress at slowing the spread.

Any information presented in these briefings, however, has often been obscured by the President's typical response to scrutiny: angry defensive diatribes and outright lies.


In a Thursday press briefing, Trump floated the idea of injecting disinfectant as a potential cure for the virus, citing the effectiveness of bleach and isopropyl alcohol at removing the virus from shared surfaces like kitchen counters and doorknobs.

The idea sparked immediate backlash and the following day, Trump didn't take any questions from the media, nor did he hold a press briefing on Saturday or Sunday—the first time he'd skipped a briefing since Easter.

In a Saturday tweet, Trump said that press briefings weren't "worth the time and effort."

The tweet signaled a potential withdrawal from the briefings, but in a Monday morning appearance on Fox News, Trump's latest Press Secretary—Kayleigh McEnany—insisted this was not the case.

Watch below.

White House press secretary insists Trump hasn't cut back on coronavirus briefingsyoutu.be

When asked by Fox News host Ed Henry on whether or not the President was pulling back on briefings, McEnany responded:

"No, the briefings were a great opportunity for the President to speak directly to the American people. It's why millions and millions tune in to the President's briefings to watch what he has to say. They recognize leadership ... Today we're not tracking a briefing. There will be a press avail later this afternoon for CEOs that the President's meeting with...but these briefings are excellent."

Fox News host Sandra Smith jumped in to ask McEnany to clarify whether or not the administration would be cutting back on briefings.

McEnany said:

"Absolutely not an effort to cut back, but an effort to showcase the American people, the great entrepreneurship of this President."

She went on to assure that the media would be able to ask questions at an afternoon meeting between Trump and retail CEOs, claiming that the new model was an effort to showcase the American people.

"We will have briefings this week," she continued, "But again the media needs to not read into what's happening and look at this as an opportunity for the President to speak to the American people via the CEO meeting and later in the week during briefings as well."

Her answer still wasn't clear, and Smith asked if it was a confirmation that the task force briefings would continue for the rest of the week, asking if Trump would be present.

McEnany responded:

"Absolutely the President will be present. I'm not going to get ahead of what the briefings will look like this week. They may have a different look. I'm not gonna get ahead of those announcements, but make no mistake, the President will be briefing the American people this week. Millions and millions tune in to watch him and see his leadership."

People were skeptical of McEnany's assurances.





Her claims that the American people tuned in for Trump's leadership were mocked by many.



Update: Hours after McEnany's Fox interview, the press secretary announced that the President would hold a press briefing on Monday evening after all.

For a deeper look into the inner workings of the Trump administration, check out A Very Stable Genius, available here.

More from People/donald-trump

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less