CNN's David Axelrod said Monday that it was somewhat “refreshing” to see President Trump field questions from reporters on his first day in office.
“I think, too, he said, 'Did Biden do this?'” I think he wanted to contrast that with that. [former President] “Biden by holding these rolling press conferences,” Axelrod said.
CNN's Anderson Cooper noted that the president took questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, just hours after being sworn in, and said it was a rare sight.
“There's a reason for that, because the president's words can actually march the troops, cause markets to crash, and have real consequences,” Axelrod said. “I think it's refreshing for the president. I mean, I was one of the people who was criticizing President Biden's lack of exposure. And I think it's good for the president to be exposed. When they tell the truth, it's better to tell the truth,' and that's what they're doing,” he added.
President Trump vows a “new era of national success'' in his inaugural address, says America's “decline is over''
David Axelrod said Monday that it was refreshing to see President Trump persist in responding to reporters. (Screenshot/CNN)
Axelrod also criticized President Trump's first actions, pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters, whom he called “hostages.”
“These are people who have confessed to or been convicted of crimes related to the storming of the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the legitimate process of certifying the U.S. election,” he said. “And the only defense I can think of for this action today is that those people were there because they were told a terrible lie by the president of the United States that the election was stolen and that something inappropriate was going on. I mean, I went to
President Trump, sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, signed the release of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The order requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately upon receiving a pardon.
“Tonight, I'm going to sign the J6 hostages, please allow us to release them,” Trump said at an event with supporters in Washington.
For more information on media and culture, click here
President Donald Trump arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, ahead of his inauguration on January 20, 2025. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)
Later in the debate, CNN's Caitlan Collins pointed out that President Trump spoke to reporters for 45 minutes.
During an exchange with reporters, Trump discovered a letter Biden had left him, a tradition for outgoing presidents.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FOX News' Diana Stancey and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
