‘WHO IS THIS DUMBA**?’: NY Post Reporter Destroyed for Asking Trump Absurd Tiger King Question During Coronavirus Briefing
New York Post reporter Steven Nelson was absolutely roasted online for using his time during the daily White House coronavirus press briefing to ask President Donald Trump about possibly pardoning Joe Exotic from the Tiger King documentary that has become a pop culture hit.
With nearly 450,000 Americans having contracted the COVID-19 and more than 13,000 deaths so far, the notion that a supposedly professional journalist would instead shift the focus of the questions to the president to a snarky, stunt set off a torrent of criticism.
Watch her face in the back when he says #TigerKing ?? https://t.co/qf0QjjBxHg
— Brooke Thomas (@BrookeOnAir) April 8, 2020
Is someone asking Trump about Tiger King during a White House briefing during a national emergency? Who the hell just asked that?
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 8, 2020
why are we asking the president about Tiger King???????
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) April 8, 2020
A Tiger King question at the White House.
I can’t.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) April 8, 2020
PARDONING TIGER KING!!!!!!!
WHO IS THIS DUMBASS? THROW HIM OUT!!!!— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) April 8, 2020
Kick this piece of crap out of journalism.#TrumpLiesAmericansDie #TigerKing pic.twitter.com/LKtADBq9w9
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) April 8, 2020
Who Asked the tiger king question? Was it OAN?
— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) April 8, 2020
Whoever the reporter is who asked about Tiger King in the White House briefing: please stop. Just stop. There are others jobs for you.
— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) April 8, 2020
In these times, wasting a question at a news conference with the president to get his take on Tiger King is reprehensible. I’ll do the stupid shit. White House reporters, do your job.
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) April 8, 2020
If there’s time to ask a Tiger King question, the briefings are either way too long or reporters who ask such questions should be thrown into an alligator pit.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) April 8, 2020
The worst part is that instead of having an honest conversation about how to stop people from dying during a pandemic, everyone’s going to remember chuckles and his idiotic Tiger King question. https://t.co/6clMbH3jWA
— Anna Gallegos is staying at home ? (@anna_gallegos) April 8, 2020
Whoever that was who asked about Tiger King pardon should be fired by a text message before the briefing ends.
— Maximillian Potter (@maxapotter) April 8, 2020
However, there was also a contingent among the mostly conservative Twitterati that found the question a real hoot and a welcome break from all the depressing news about actual death and disease among their fellow Americans.
Are we seriously getting a Tiger King question right now???
I’m actually all-in here! Best question of the briefing!
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) April 8, 2020
i apologize to anyone i may have hurt by asking the president about tiger king during his coronavirus press conference. this has been a learning experience for me, and i promise to do better moving forward
— my pal andy (@andylevy) April 8, 2020
The reporter asking President Trump about Tiger King and a possible pardon for Joe Exotic is exactly the kind of quarantine content we need
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 8, 2020
If you’re offended by a NY Post reporter asking about Tiger King but not a Chinese propagandist asking a question, maybe you should examine yourself.
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 8, 2020
Update: Nelson pushed back on all those challenging his journalistic priorities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in a comment to Mediate: “At today’s White House briefing, I asked about WHO coronavirus funding, negotiations on a post-crisis infrastructure bill, and the top-rated TV show as people stay at home during the outbreak. I have nothing more to add.”
One of those things, even the most elementary of media watchers can see, is definitely not like the others.
