CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins demanded President Trump come back and answer her question as he left the briefing room Monday night following repeated attempts by Collins and other reporters to get Trump to criticize his supporters.
Collins initially sparred with Trump with her question, “You were just criticizing Joe Biden, saying he didn’t mention the far left or Antifa during his speech today. You said you wanted to talk about left wing political violence. But I notice you did not mention that your supporters were also in Portland this weekend firing paintball guns at people, some form of pepper spray, so do you want to also take this chance to condemn what your supporters did in Portland this weekend?”
As reported earlier by TGP, Trump told Collins it was “your supporters” who shot and killed a man in Portland this weekend.
After criticizing Biden for not calling out the far left or Antifa specifically as he condemned rioting earlier, Trump declines to condemn his supporters who fired paintball guns and pepper spray at people in Portland. He says paint is a "defensive mechanism." pic.twitter.com/53NPaGtUDH
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 31, 2020
A stung Collins tried to follow up when Trump finished, saying repeatedly as Trump ignored her and tried to call on anther reporter, “It was a supporter of yours, Mr. President. It was a supporter of yours, Mr. President. It was a supporter of yours, Mr. President who killed someone who’s accused of killing two people. It was a supporter of yours.”
The next reporter, CBS’ Wejia Jiang, asked Trump about Kyle Rittenhouse. TGP report on Trump’s answer here.
Trump answered that reporter’s follow-up on whether private citizens should be doing what they did in Kenosha by going on an extended defense of police and the stress they are under to make the right decision all the time in a short amounts of time.
Trump ended the press conference at that point and walked away. Collins, in a tone of voice that sounded like a petulant teenager who will not be ignored at the family dinner, demanded Trump come back and answer her question, “Mr. President I’d like to finish my question if you could come back please since you did not let me finish my question, Mr. President.”
Trump just kept on walking.
YouTube video cued to end of press conference:
