Donald Trump’s repeated claims that journalists are “enemies of the people” has been branded “un-presidential” and “not a punchline” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Talking about his 20-plus years as a reporter. White House Correspondents’ Association president Olivier Knox said he could split his career into what happened before February 2017, and what happened after Mr Trump used the “enemy of the people” line for the first time.
“A few days later I was driving my then-11-year-old son somewhere, probably soccer practice, when he burst into tears and asked me, ‘Is Donald Trump going to put you in prison’,” Mr Knox said.
“At the end of a family trip to Mexico, he mused if the president tried to keep me out of the country, at least Uncle Josh is a good lawyer and will get you home,” Mr Knox, chief Washington correspondent for SiriusXM radio, added.
The reporter said that he had been “physically assaulted by Republicans and Democrats, spat on, shoved, had c*** thrown at me” over the years – but that Mr Trump coming into office marked a new low.
“I’ve had to tell my family not to touch packages [at our door]… I’ve had death threats, including one this week,” Mr Knox said, adding that “too many” journalists have faced such threats.
Mr Knox made clear that his colleagues, and journalists across the country, would not stand for such remarks – and the American people should not either.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has been attended by presidents most years since the organisation was founded in 1914, but Mr Trump has missed it in each of the last three years. White House officials were reportedly told not to attend this year’s event.
Instead, Mr Trump held a rally in Wisconsin during which he attacked what he has repeatedly claimed is “fake news”. He also brought White House press secretary Sarah Sanders up on stage where she said she had the “honour” of a better welcome than she received attending the correspondent’s sinner in 2018.
