Trump and teacher freed from Russia hold bizarre White House press conference with just one reporter

Trump and teacher freed from Russia hold bizarre White House press conference with just one reporter Unusual setup in Oval Office comes a day after Trump berated a reporter for asking why he had canceled rallies - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in With just days to go until voters decide whether to end his party’s control of the House and Senate and his approval ratings at the lowest point of his political career, President Donald Trump appears to be bending over backwards to avoid aggressive taking questions from much of the White House Press Corps. During an Oval Office appearance alongside freed former Russian hostage Stephen Hubbard, the president’s aides blocked most of the White House press pool — including reporters from the conservative Daily Caller, the Associated Press, The Hill and another conservative outlet called Center Square from attending and asking him or Hubbard questions. Instead, the White House only permitted still photographers and a crew from CBS News, the network that was purchased by one of his political allies last year, to enter the Oval Office. A lone reporter from CBS, Jennifer Jacobs, was also allowed in, leading to a bizarre moment when Trump asked if there were any questions from the assembled press but only received a reply from Jacobs, a well-regarded ex-Bloomberg News reporter who left that outlet amid a controversy over her reporting on the Biden administration’s deal to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison. Jacobs asked Trump if his administration is working on freeing other Americans who are wrongfully detained by Moscow, leading Trump to reply: “We're going to be working on them.” After answering several more questions from the CBS News journalist, Trump thanked the lone reporter, television crew and photographers, who were ushered out of the room by White House aides. He later avoided taking questions from other journalists as he departed the White House by helicopter less than an hour later. The president’s sudden reluctance to engage with journalists comes less than a day after he flew off the handle at a Reuters journalist who pressed him on why he’d canceled a pair of rallies scheduled for this weekend in Iowa and Kansas. “You know what the reason is? I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas,” Trump snapped at the reporter on Thursday, just before boarding Air Force One. “I feel perfect. You are disgusting.” Just over a week earlier, he similarly blew up during an Oval Office appearance alongside Vice President JD Vance and other members of the administration’s anti-fraud task force, calling The Independent’s correspondent a “sick person” rather than answer a question about his plans to renovate a Washington, D.C. golf course. More follows... Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments