Trump berates reporter and dodges question about Ukraine call in contentious press conference
President Trump in a wild press conference Wednesday repeatedly refused to answer a question about his Ukraine call, berating a reporter for following up on it.
Trump spoke alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and railed against Democrats, continued to defend his call with Ukraine's president as perfectly fine, and declared himself a "very stable genius." At one point, Reuters' Jeff Mason asked Trump to clarify what it is he wanted from Ukraine's president in regards to former Vice President Joe Biden, who he asked for an investigation into on the call.
Trump dodged this question, prompting a follow-up from Mason, which Trump once again dodged by simply labeling Biden and his son "stone cold crooked." When Mason yet again tried to get an answer, Trump began to berate him and demand he instead ask a question of the president of Finland.
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"Are you talking to me?" Trump asked. "...Listen, we have the president of Finland. Ask him a question."
Given another opportunity to address the question directly, Trump again did not do so, instead angrily attacking the media as "corrupt" and again demanding a question for Niinistö. But when Mason finally asked one of Niinistö, Trump kept talking anyway, with Niinistö informing him, "I think the question is for me." Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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