Trump and his teacher released from Russia hold strange White House press conference with only one reporter

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Just days before voters decide to end his party’s control of the House and Senate — and with his approval ratings at the lowest of his political career — President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to dodge tough questions from the White House press corps.

During an appearance in the Oval Office alongside Stephen Hubbard, the American teacher who freed Russian captivity, the president’s aides blocked most of the White House media, including conservative party reporters. Daily caller, THE Associated Press, The Hill and another conservative media outlet called Central square to attend and ask questions of him or Hubbard.

Instead, the White House allowed only still photographers and a crew from CBS News, the network purchased by one of its political allies last year, into the Oval Office.

A lone CBS reporter, Jennifer Jacobs, was also allowed in, leading to a bizarre moment where Trump asked if there were any questions from the assembled press, but received only a response from Jacobs, a former high-profile Bloomberg News reporter who left that outlet amid controversy over her reporting on the Biden administration’s bail deal. The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison.

Jacobs asked Trump if his administration was working to free other Americans unjustly detained by Moscow, leading Trump to respond: “We’ll work on them.” »

After answering several more questions from the same CBS News reporter, Trump thanked the lone reporter, television crew and photographers, who were ushered out of the room by White House aides. She asked questions on a variety of topics, but without any follow-up or reaction to the president’s responses.

He then avoided answering questions from other reporters as he left the White House by helicopter less than an hour later.

The president’s sudden reluctance to engage with reporters comes less than a day after he evaded a Reuters reporter who asked why he canceled two rallies planned for this weekend in Iowa and Kansas.

“You know what the reason is? I don’t feel obligated to go to Kansas,” Trump told the reporter Thursday, just before boarding Air Force One. “I feel perfect. You’re disgusting.”

Just over a week earlier, he also exploded during an appearance in the Oval Office alongside Vice President JD Vance and other members of the administration’s anti-fraud task force, calling The IndependentThe Washington correspondent is a “sick person” rather than answering a question about his plans to renovate a golf course in Washington, DC.

Days later, he chastised an NBC News reporter who pressed him on her continued support for Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to air a widely condemned TV spot featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s biological mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of being “a liar” and warning Ohioans not to vote for her.

“You’re a horrible little reporter, aren’t you,” Trump said after the reporter informed him of the identity of her employer.