American journalists traveling with President Trump in Paris were in a huff Thursday after he called on a Chinese reporter at a press conference instead of a U.S. journalist.
“POTUS did not call on a US journalist,” pool reporter Maggie Haberman of the New York Times noted in a report circulated to other journalists.
The perceived slight came at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. Typically at such events, each country’s leader will call on two journalists from their respective nations.
Mr. Trump gave the first American question to ABC News reporter Cecilia Vargas. But when it came time for Mr. Trump to call on a second reporter, he pointed at a Chinese television journalist, raising eyebrows among U.S. reporters traveling with Mr. Trump and some back home.
It was the second press kerfuffle of the day in Paris. Earlier, when Mr. Trump greeted staff at the U.S. embassy, pool reporters were kept out of the event. A White House aide later tweeted video of the president’s formal remarks at the embassy.
White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to journalists’ complaints by saying that other administrations have typically closed presidential meet-and-greets with embassy staff.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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