If you are like me, you were a little disappointed at new White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany when a member of the press corps smugly asked Ms. McEnany in her debut presser to promise she would never lie to them.
It was insulting but instead of being insulted, Ms. McEnany promised on the spot that she would always tell the truth.
Looked to me like Ms. McEnany was not going to be a match for the (mostly) ravening press corps. Not a good start, I mused.
Did I ever get a wrong number!
McEnany turned in a dazzling performance on her second outing that has people buzzing. Polite, tough and enough to make you laugh out loud. At the smugness of the White House press!
You have to see it. It will bring a moment of undiluted joy in a time of grayness. Here is a print account (from an unfriendly source, no less):
On Wednesday, Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason asked her whether she would take the comment back, given what has happened since then.but
But McEnany tried [sic-I’d say she not only tried but resoundingly succeeded] to turn the tables on the media, suggesting [suggesting? Read on] that a number of outlets also downplayed the threat of the coronavirus.
“I was asked a question on Fox Business about the president’s travel restrictions,” she said. “I noted what was the intent behind those travel restrictions, which is, we will not see coronavirus come here. We will not see terrorism come here, referring to an earlier set of travel restrictions.”
She added, “I guess I would turn the question back on the media, and ask similar questions. Does Vox want to take back that they proclaimed the coronavirus would not be a deadly pandemic? Does The Washington Post want to take back that they told Americans to get a grip, the flu is bigger than the coronavirus. Does The Washington Post likewise want to take back that our brains are causing us to exaggerate the threat of the coronavirus. Does The New York Times want to take back that fear of the virus may be spreading faster than the virus itself. Does NPR want to take back that the flu was a much bigger threat than the coronavirus? And finally, once again The Washington Post, would they like to take back that the government should not respond aggressively to the coronavirus.”
She then wrapped up the briefing and left.
She was smiling the whole time.
Before you dismiss this as just a fun incident: Getting across to the public the level of bias and general shallowness of knowledge of the legacy media is important. It helps the public evaluate what they read and see.