Obama Officials, Media Lie About Trump Not Taking Questions During Presser With Xi Jinping — In Fact, Obama Did It Too!

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Reporters are doing their best to ruin a so-far successful twelve day trip through Asia by President Donald Trump.

The media has repeatedly lied about him and trying to bait him at press conferences.
(See fake Goi fish feeding frenzy, out of context remarks on Japan making cars in the U.S. and a grandstanding NBC reporter try to bait Trump in Korea with a gotcha question about the Sutherland Springs church massacre.)

President Donald Trump with China President Xi Jinping, November 9, 2017, image via YouTube.

The report by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that provoked the lies was factual and unbiased, “Asked why President Trump didn’t take questions from reporters today, Sarah Sanders said, “It was at the Chinese insistence there were no questions today.”

But former senior Obama administration officials, including Susan Rice, Jay Carney and Ben Rhodes, joined the media in the lying smear that Trump is the first president in decades, since President George H.W. Bush, to visit China and hold a press conference with the leader of China but for the leaders to not take questions.

In actuality President Barack Obama did the same thing in November 2009 in Beijing on his first trip to China.

As a result, Trump is taking a beating in public opinion yet again for something he is being falsely accused of doing or saying on the Asia trip.

Jeremy Diamond with CNN tweeted, “Trump just became the first US president since George H.W. Bush to not take questions from reporters alongside his Chinese counterpart on his first visit here. Clinton, G.W. Bush & Obama all made a point of doing it.” Followed by, “Chinese Presidents haven’t wanted to do it with those 3 US presidents either. But the White House made a point of insisting they take at least one question each in the past.”

https://twitter.com/JDiamond1/status/928491525285302272

(Note, Diamond deleted the tweet Thursday morning as this article was being written. Screen capture below.)

Screen capture by T. Becket Adams.

Eight hours later, Diamond posted a correction. It turns out President Barack Obama also did what Trump did, “Correction: Obama also did not take questions with his counterpart during his first visit. He & Xi did during a subsequent trip in 2014.”

And his comment on deleting, “I’ve deleted the original tweet so there is no confusion. Neither Trump nor Obama took questions alongside their Chinese counterparts during their first visit to the country.”

The official Obama White House archived transcript of the November 17, 2009 joint press statement in Beijing with President Hu Jintao shows no questions were taken by the two leaders after each lengthily addressed the press in turn for a total of over thirty minutes. The transcript shows the ‘joint press statement’ was ended abruptly with no chance for questions: “MODERATOR: This concludes the meeting with the news media. Thank you.”

As T. Becket Adams with the Washington Examiner pointed out earlier, Diamond’s false report unfavorably comparing Trump to his three predecessors received thousands of likes and retweets while the correction only received dozens.

https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/928643562916470785

The Hill published their own lying article, “Trump becomes first president in decades not to take questions during China visit”

MSNBC producers and liberal Twitter fave Kyle Griffin also lied about Trump (in a now deleted tweet since this article was being written, “Trump is the 1st president since George H.W. Bush to NOT take questions from the press during a trip to China.”

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/928606930410536960

Former Obama officials attacked Trump without noting Obama had done the same thing in China.

Former White House Press Secretary for Obama Jay Carney, “I once had to tell Chinese officials that Pres. Obama would not show up for the press avail unless there would be a Q&A. They backed down.” “The Chinese try this every time. It’s a test of will and principle. Letting them dictate press access is an embarrassing capitulation.”

Former Obama National Security Advisor and UN Ambassador Susan Rice agreed with a call for reporters to boycott Trump and Xi Jinping, and then lectured Trump’s White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, “Yes indeed. We insisted on questions and got them. Remember, reporter friends?” “They always insist, Sarah. The trick is to use diplomacy to extract that concession as a matter of principle, despite their resistence.”

Trending: “Have a Seat!” – Fani Willis’ Top Prosecutor Screams at Judge (VIDEO)

Former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, “When Obama went to China we insisted that they take questions and they did.”

Ned Price, former Obama Special Assistant to the President, Spokesperson, and Senior Director, National Security Council, “Trump’s idea of the art of the deal: Roll over. The Obama WH didn’t accept the “Chinese insistence” (nor the Cuban, Ethiopian, etc.)”

White House video of Trump-Xi joint press statement, November 9, 2017 via YouTube.

Will the Obama officials correct the record like the media is now belatedly doing?

UPDATES: News reports repeating the lie:

AOL News: Trump refuses to take questions during China visit, becoming first president since George H.W. Bush to bow to Chinese pressure

Newsweek: IN CHINA, TRUMP CONTINUES WAR ON MEDIA BY BOWING TO DEMAND FOR NO QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS

“Freedom of the press is a tenet of American democracy, but on his trip to China, President Donald Trump did not appear to care.

The White House admitted Thursday that the president acquiesced to China’s request to silence journalists during a joint-press conference with President Xi Jinping. During state visits, the Chinese government typically asks The White House not to allow the press to ask questions, but U.S. presidents insist upon it to demonstrate their commitment to American freedoms.

Trump, the leader of the free world, is the first president since George H.W. Bush to roll over to the Chinese request and not take questions from reporters during his state visit to China.”

SKY News: Donald Trump’s visit to China is going brilliantly… for Xi Jinping

“Mr Trump becomes the first US president in a quarter of a century not to take questions in China – and doesn’t raise human rights.”

The Independent posted at Yahoo News: Trump in China: US President first in decades not to take reporter questions at Xi Jinping ‘news briefing’

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Kristinn Taylor
Kristinn Taylor has contributed to The Gateway Pundit for over ten years. Mr. Taylor previously wrote for Breitbart, worked for Judicial Watch and was co-leader of the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com. He studied journalism in high school, visited the Newseum and once met David Brinkley.

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