‘Off the Rails’: Reporters Fume After Wild Briefing in Which Kayleigh McEnany Repeatedly Ducked Questions

Reporters fumeded following White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s press briefing on Monday, criticizing McEnany for failing to adequately answer questions and then abruptly concluding the briefing after berating the media.

Most of the criticism directed at McEnany concerned her repeated attempts to “duck” questions about President Donald Trump’s tweet insinuating NASCAR is losing viewers for banning the Confederate flag and demanding that driver Bubba Wallace apologize after a noose was discovered in his garage.

“[McEnany’s] briefing is off the rails,” tweeted New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman. “Doesn’t answer the question she’s repeatedly asked about the president saying Bubba Wallace should ‘apologize,’ then gets angry reporters are pressing her on it.”

.@PressSec briefing is off the rails. Doesn’t answer the question she’s repeatedly asked about the president saying Bubba Wallace should “apologize,” then gets angry reporters are pressing her on it.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 6, 2020

.@PressSec comparison of Bubba Wallace noose incident to Jussie Smollett – Smollett has been accused of staging an incident. No one has accused Wallace of staging a noose in his garage stall.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 6, 2020

.@PressSec is repeatedly telling reporters the president said something different than what he actually said. https://t.co/prBVaODLKW

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 6, 2020

“Worth noting that White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany — speaking on behalf of the White House and President Trump — so far has repeatedly been unable to take any unambiguous stance about the place of the Confederate flag in our society,” commented Washington Post White House reporter Ashley Parker.

Worth noting that White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany — speaking on behalf of the White House and President Trump — so far has repeatedly been unable to take any unambiguous stance about the place of the Confederate flag in our society.

— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) July 6, 2020

WH press sec McEnany repeatedly declines to say whether President Trump supports the Confederate flag.

Many Americans have strong opinions on the Confederate flag — and Trump, of course, has strong opinions on many topics — but she claims he doesn’t have one on the flag.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) July 6, 2020

McEnany is basically saying that Trump brought up NASCAR’s ban on the Confederate flag for no reason other than to remark on its ratings.

Just a big coincidence, apparently.

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) July 6, 2020

This @PressSec briefing is something

— Tom LoBianco (@tomlobianco) July 6, 2020

WH McEnany won’t say whether or not Trump thinks it was a mistake for NASCAR to ban Confederate flags.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) July 6, 2020

.@PaulaReidCBS repeatedly asked: Why should @BubbaWallace apologize for a hate crime investigation that he didn’t initiate? @PressSec doesn’t answer directly repeatedly. Instead, she says the president wants to criticize rush to judgements. https://t.co/wXDTjCUX7I

— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) July 6, 2020

Many journalists also took aim at McEnany’s claim that “the world is looking at us as a leader in COVID-19,” and defense of President Trump’s declaration that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless.”

Well, true… https://t.co/KlRtCgW3FA

— Thor Benson (@thor_benson) July 6, 2020

“I think the world is looking at us as a world leader in COVID-19,” @PressSec says.

Well, she’s not wrong about that. pic.twitter.com/aq1pNlvdKv

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) July 6, 2020

I mean, she’s not exactly wrong here https://t.co/pmKuoqu6wr

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 6, 2020

Trump claimed 99% of Covid cases are “totally harmless.” McEnany says he meant 99% of Americans who get the virus won’t *die.*

Ridiculous, even if you grant the spin. We know that lots of survivors have severe immediate problems and sometimes prolonged problems.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 6, 2020

WH Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “I think the world is looking at us as a leader on Covid-19” https://t.co/5oEaYib9Zz

— Emma Kinery (@EmmaKinery) July 6, 2020

You know @PressSec is about to leave the podium when she winds up to admonish the press corps. That’s her exit music.

— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 6, 2020

McEnany concluded Monday press briefing after berating the press for asking her about the Confederate flag, rather than about violent crime in major cities over the weekend.

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