CNN Anchor Bristles When Trump Fan Accuses Media of ‘Hoax’ on Trump’s Bombshell ‘Uphold The Constitution’ Answer

CNN anchor Abby Phillip objected when prominent Trump supporter Batya Ungar-Sargon accused the media of promoting a “hoax” in its coverage of President Donald Trump’s viral comments about “upholding the Constitution.”

Trump went viral with a response he gave during an interview with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker. Trump said “I don’t know” when asked directly whether he needs to uphold the U.S. Constitution — here’s the full exchange:

KRISTEN WELKER: But even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.

On Monday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip convened a panel that included Donte Mills, Scott Jennings, Jemele Hill, Batya Ungar-Sargon, Charles Blow, and Jason Carter.

Ungar-Sargon called coverage of the remark a media “hoax,” prompting Phillip to cut in and play clips of several exchanges along those lines:

PHILLIP: Batya, I wonder why it’s so difficult to understand a pretty simple concept? If Trump wants to deport illegal immigrants, he can do that, but he ought to do it legally. Do you think that that is a fair thing to say at this moment?

UNGAR-SARGON: I do think the media is pulling another, you know, dictator for a day hoax right now, because it’s clear when Trump said, I don’t know, what he meant was what he finished his sentence saying, which is, I don’t know where the Supreme Court is going to come down on whether deporting these illegal migrants is constitutional or not.

It’s very obvious.

PHILLIP: Okay.

UNGAR-SARGON: And yet every single headline —

PHILLIP: Hold on. You just called it a hoax though. Let’s just play — can we play it again in the control room what Trump said in response to Kristen Welker?

We’re getting it up right now. Can I make another —

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WELKER: Don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?

TRUMP: I don’t know. I have to respond by saying again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JENNINGS: What’s wrong with that?

UNGAR-SARGON: So, the Supreme Court is going to decide what is constitutional and what is not? And Trump just committed 100 percent to following what the Supreme Court says.

PHILLIP: Okay. There’s —

UNGAR-SARGON: Can I just — I want to make one more, very quick.

PHILLIP: Hold on. There’s another clip. Do we have the other one where he talks about whether citizens deserve due process? If we do, let’s play that one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WELKER: Your secretary of state says, everyone who’s here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.

WELKER: Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much —

TRUMP: I don’t know. It seems it might say that. But if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNGAR-SARGON: So, can I respond to that?

PHILLIP: Yes.

UNGAR-SARGON: So, what does it mean for an illegal immigrant to have due process? We would all agree that they do not have the same level of due process that we do. For example, we are entitled to a jury trial and they are entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do you know who the immigration judges work for? They work for the executive branch. They work for —

PHILLIP: So what?

UNGAR-SARGON: Which is that they work for Donald Trump.

PHILLIP: Well, you’re actually making a great in charge. You’re making a great point.

UNGAR-SARGON: Which means that he is in charge of the due process that they get.

PHILLIP: But Donald Trump doesn’t even want to give him even that due process. I mean, I think that that’s part of the problem.

UNGAR-SARGON: He said he is not sure the level to which they are entitled due process.

PHILLIP: But she didn’t ask about what level of due process, a very basic, simple question.

The reason I’m jumping in here is because she did not ask him, what do — should they have a jury trial? Should they not have a jury trial? She just said whatever process they are entitled to, if they’re immigrants and they’re in an immigration proceeding, then, yes, you’re absolutely right. It’s a different type of proceeding. It’s actually more of an administrative proceeding.

MILLS: It’s a much lower standard as well.

PHILLIP: But still, even still, they are trying to circumvent that minimal amount of due process. The question is why.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.