Should an American President spew belligerently and then expect non-belligerent questioning?

Should anyone behave rudely? No.

Should anyone practice a double standard? No.

Should anyone expect his or her behavior to be beyond question because of the title they hold? No.

So.

Everyone should be respectful and reasonable. In the case of the President and reporters, they both “win” something when they are obnoxious in today’s political climate. That is a problem in our society that needs to change, but probably won’t any time soon.

As long as there is a monetary or popularity gain by being an ass, politicians and media will continue to do it.

It seems this President was elected for his rudeness and belligerence. So it’s a little bit surprising that he and his supporters demand civility.

Not normal presidents…

@JLeslie When someone is trying to do as much damage to as many things as they can, for the purpose of making himself and other obscenely wealthy people obscenely wealthier, it seems to me that the reasonable thing is to point that out and not shut up about it until it stops.

@Zaku, Of course it’s reasonable to point it out. I didn’t say otherwise. The reporters, sometimes press the president by asking the same question three times, because they don’t like the President’s answer, but the president has already answered. If they are asking a true follow up question, or a clarifying question, that’s legitimate, but sometimes they aren’t. There is a lot of people in the room, and everyone there wants to ask questions. If a reporter thinks an answer from the president is a lie or scary for the people of our country they should report it!

When the President is mean to the media (which is awful) the media on one hand loves it, because it gets them attention and ratings and money. It also makes Trump supporters invigorated, and those people go out and vote the more invigorated they are. It’s a fine line reporting on Trump. This is something Democrats haven’t understood for 3 years now. It might get him elected again.

Should he? No.
Am I bothered by my country’s leader telling a lippy prick where to get off? No. Some presidents speak softly and carry a big stick. Some raise their voices, and pack heat.
Whatever.
I am a bottom line person.
Can he make the math work?
Can he ensure our safety?
I let Melania decide if he is cuddly enough.

What is worse, is that the regime lied about the events and even released a manipulated video taken from a right wing conspiracy website.

1984 !

@ragingloli Yup. It is unforgivable.

Talk about “fake news”.

Just like most bullies, he can dish it but can’t take it.

I think if a person is not badgered to death by loudmouth , rude people they would be expected to be cooperative. I believe CNN purposely set Trump up using hot spots and controversial material. When the POTUS says be quiet and/or put down the mike and CNN refuses and continues to blather away then it’s alright for Trump to get testy. Some of you may not know how assertive” Lyndon Johnson was. Some of you think that all past presidents just rolled over and took any kind of misbehavior. No wonder our young people are disrespectful of authority when they hear their parents berate their president and act like any kind of obscene language against the head of the country is perfectly acceptable. He was doing nicely until that Acosta idiot or however it’s spelled became despicable.
I have a video where Obama ordered a man out of the room during a press conference.

No wonder our young people are disrespectful of authority when they hear their president berate constituents and act like any kind of obscene language against American citizens (and just people in general) is perfectly acceptable.

@tinyfaery he was not acting beligerent at all . He was answering questions as asked. But when JA started pestering him , failed to sit down when ordered, told to put the mike down , Trump reacted but still allowed him in the room.
It is akin to a male parent. If the parent is answering questions of his grown child, and continues to, then the grown child begins hammering questions at the father using veiled insults, the father tells him to be nicer and quieter, the child continues hammering away and the father gets up and walks off – then the parent has acted appropriately. The father doesn’t just sit there inviting more disrespect .

Every time I hear him refer to the free press as “the enemy of the people,” I feel physically ill.

Democracy dies without media that are the voices of public opinion, not controlled, restricted, or censured by government.

@Patty_Melt Same.

Too bad the female intern didn’t have Acosta arrested for assault for touching her without permission.

@KNOWITALL she touched him first. She was taking the microphone, which legally is an extension of him while he is in possession of it.

Her trying to take the mic probably has happened to others, and the reporter trying to stop the action probably has happened before too. I think the reporter should have handed over the mic, but it’s not an assault, it was a nothing in terms of physical contact.

The whole thing is ridiculous in my opinion. Nothing was so awful if you (not you personally, I mean everyone) watches the entire interaction. What is ridiculous and awful is someone editing the clip and it being circulated by the White House. That is fake, the very thing Trump is accusing others of.

Both Trump and Acosta love the attention.

@JLeslie Hmmmm, that may be a good legal debate sometime!

^^Have you watched the full clip? It’s impossible to not see that she was grabbing first. A link I had for the full clip when I sent it to a friend, got redirected to the edited clip. That’s pretty frightening to me. I go to discussions every week that we use mic’s and people need to be cut off, because they go on too long, and no one ever has the mic physically pulled from their hand. But, again I don’t think what she did was a big deal either. That sort of thing probably happens now and then without any hoopla.

@JLeslie I did, honestly I just thought Acosta was a jerk, didn’t really spend too much time on that nonsense. I took journalism, I know he’s got to push, they all do it.

I believe Trump motioned to the girl to remove the mike from Acosta. She attempted to , since it is her job, but he held it so tightly and pulled it away slightly so she was unable to take it.

Well once again the president was a rude jerk to a reporter today. Abby Phillip asked if he wants Whitaker to rein in Robert Mueller. He replied “What a stupid question. What a stupid question. You ask a lot of stupid questions.” And he walked off.
This was not a stupid question since Whitaker has said multiple times before that Mueller needs reined in. Respect goes both ways and Trump has no respect for anyone.

Obama once was trying to shush a heckler, said, “you’re in MY house.”
Well, now it is Trump’s house, and Jim was disrespectful in it, and yes, the aide was instructed to take the mic, which could be considered an extension of the man only if it were his property. It was WH property, and Trump’s to take if he wanted.

^^^ Are you suggesting that mainstream media reporters are hecklers, or that asking questions at a press conference equates to heckling?

It’s the house of the people and calling names should not be acceptable. I do think he has the right to control the environment in the White House to some extent though.

Remember how republicans freaked out that Clinton got a blow job in the White House, which they said is the house we pay for with tax money? I defended that Clinton lives there and I’m not so bothered that he picked the White House to have his affair, but I’m not defending his affair, I just don’t think it matters where.

Stupid, loser, Trump says so many awful things. I have a friend who says she likes that he’s direct. I like direct, but I don’t like name calling. I don’t even mind swearing in private, but shouldn’t be done in public by our political leaders in my opinion. I don’t care if he called countries shitholes in private, I care if he says it in public. Of course the problem is now everything is public.

Many of my friends who like Trump are Christian Southerners, and when I lived in the South they practically equated swearing with being immoral. My husband’s boss in TN was fairly new to the company and area, and when he said a few swear words at work, there was talk about it, and he was talked to. I promise you if a Democrat had talked this way my same friends would have been disgusted and very critical. I just talked to her about this, and I said, well I hope when a Democrat is doing it I don’t hear people saying just how awful it is when they are busy defending how Trump talks now. A few of my friends who voted for Trump don’t like how he talks, but most defend it.

LMD, I am not saying that.
Jim was heckling, the others did not. The others did their job, and followed protocol. Jim was spouting opinions and accusations. Trump had made two responses to him. His turn was done.

Two wrongs don’t make a right!!! Still, I have noticed that the most rude people in my life expected to be treated with love & honor because they were entitled to it!!!

Trump, and his supporters, are TOTAL COWARDS…

You wouldn’t say that if you met me.

@JLeslie As you can see, in many circumstances we relate and understand his anger. Like with Acosta. Thats the difference. Approval vs empathy.

@KNOWITALL So “the Press is the enemy” ? ? ? Because Acosta ask a pointed question.

Enemy of whom, Trump ?

They aren’t my enemy !

OMG how hard is it to understand the difference between question and speech? Trump answered questions.
The issue was not questions. The problem was Jim going from asking to protest speech.
If he wanted to do that, then the editorial spot is for that. A press conference is all about ask, shut up, sit down.
Easy to see why Acosta has fans. So many nagging clueless.

@Patty Melt It seems to be two completely different ways of looking at specific situations. Frustrating.

“Two different ways.”... Indeed. Right, and wrong. Democracy, or tyrannical dictatorship…