On Monday, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell criticized CNN’s Jake Tapper, which is somewhat unusual for mainstream anchors. Tapper had promoted an “exclusive interview with President Donald Trump” that was conducted via text messages. O’Donnell remarked that Tapper might have been misled by White House staff or was simply practicing lazy journalism.
O’Donnell mused about the authenticity of the CNN interview, noting, “They couldn’t even prove it was Donald Trump.” He pointed out a significant element of their exchange—questions that Trump could take home and how this method of interaction lacked accountability.
O’Donnell continued to express skepticism, questioning the amount of time it took for Trump to respond to the questions. He referred to the inquiries as “slow pitch softball,” particularly highlighting Tapper’s question regarding the end of a government shutdown. O’Donnell found Tapper’s interactions with Trump to yield “empty answers” and criticized liberal media colleagues for not pressing on questions that Trump chose to ignore.
At one point, he posed a reflective question about the relevancy of their exchange. O’Donnell suggested that Tapper was inadvertently aiding White House communications and hinted that history might view this “interview” as a significant turning point in Trump’s engagement with the media, particularly given O’Donnell’s belief in Trump’s cognitive decline.
Highlighting the oddities of how the interview was conducted, O’Donnell noted that such a format sets a troubling precedent in journalism. He expressed concern that lowering standards for Trump might influence how future interviews are approached.
A CNN representative defended Tapper, stating, “Jake Tapper is a journalist,” emphasizing that CNN journalists capitalize on opportunities to question powerful figures. On his part, Tapper recently mentioned in a podcast that he had texted Trump casually and, although he’d prefer an in-person interview, this hadn’t happened since June 2016.
In addition, he read out some of the questions Trump hadn’t answered, touching on topics such as Hamas and healthcare grants. The White House has yet to comment on this situation.
