Politics - News Analysis

Press Briefing Gets Ugly When Kayleigh McEnany Refuses to Answer Yamiche Alcindor’s Question

Anyone who has watched the media’s coverage of the Trump White House has come to respect Yamiche Alcindor and her fearless reporting chops. She has repeatedly pinned Trump down with deep questions that leave him little room to “talk himself out” from under. It is no different watching the Kayleigh McEnany press briefings. Kayleigh McEnany may be slightly less misogynistic, but is no less dismissive and condescending.

Today, Yamiche Alcindor had a pertinent question she wanted to ask on behalf of all parents, how could the White House still be pushing the “Open the Schools” demand given that Israel’s school plans immediately resulted in outbreaks of COVID. Kayleigh didn’t want to answer the question and used a unique attempt to dodge it. Alcindor was relaying her question while another reporter was also asking a question. Alcindor deferred briefly to her colleague, and then picked up on her question. Kayleigh said that Alcindor had her chance and moved on, probably thinking that she’d dodged the bullet. Kayleigh must not have anticipated another reporter giving Alcindor his time, forcing Kayleigh to answer the question.

But then:

As per usual, Kayleigh chose to ignore the question entirely once it was asked, saying that she would defer to the experts, but then said she read a quote from the head of the CDC who had said it was “paramount to the health of the child to get kids back in school.”

Obviously, no one disputes that socializing children is paramount to their health. The question is whether sending kids to school right now can be justified – even though it is critical to their health – in the environment we’re in with COVID.

It is nice to see some solidarity and team play within the WHCA. Kayleigh McEnany has had them within an abusive relationship too long. Kayleigh hands out “punishment,” goes low, and manipulates her way around tough questions. Some selflessness in the press corps is necessary to get around Kayleigh’s antics.

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom

meet the author

Jason Miciak is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is originally from Canada but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys life as a single dad raising a ridiculously-loved young girl on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He is very much the dreamy mystic, a day without learning is a day not lived. He is passionate about his flower pots and studies philosophical science, religion, and non-mathematical principles of theoretical physics. Dogs, pizza, and love are proof that God exists. "Above all else, love one another."

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