On July 19, Australian journalist Jonathan Swan conducted an interview of Donald Trump regarding the Corona virus pandemic for the news website Axios and it was aired on HBO.
Swan's interview earned him praise from across the political aisle, and from beyond the usual media commentators. “Jonathan Swan is one of the best live interviewers on the planet,”
wrote longtime GOP pollster Frank Luntz on Twitter. “Journalism schools
should be required to show the @jonathanvswan @axios interview to every
incoming class in perpetuity,” tweeted sports radio host Rich Eisen.
As for his 35-minute interview with the president, Axios chief executive and co-founder, Jim VandeHei said: “Swan is a true student of the craft and studies tapes, history and previous interviews more than any reporter I have met in two decades. It’s rare for reporters these days to be fearless, fact-based, devoid of bias … and maniacal about their sourcing, reporting and prep aration. Swan is all of that, and a natural for the depth and cinematic nature of the HBO show.”
Trump's interviewers are usually right-wing supporters who have no
interest in challenging him. But Trump has defeated even other
interviewers by employing a strategy called the hit-and-run --
saying untruthful and dishonest things, then darting to other dishonest things
before the interviewer has a chance to react. But Swan did not let him get away with it
this time.
In a heated back and forth, Trump and Swan sparred over the best statistics to assess the United States’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump falsely asserted that US deaths from the virus are “lower” than anywhere in the world, rifling through a disorganized stack of printed charts to somehow back the absurd claim. “Lower than the world? In what?” Swan asked. Glancing at the charts Trump was referencing, Swan said, “You’re doing death as a proportion of cases. I’m talking about death as a proportion of the population.”
“You can’t do that,” an outraged Trump replied. Swan then asked Trump, "Why can't I do that?"
“You can’t do that,” an outraged Trump replied. Swan then asked Trump, "Why can't I do that?"
With the U.S. novel coronavirus death toll at 150,000, Trump
claimed that the virus is "under control” Swan asked, "How? 1,000
Americans are dying a day."
Trump wouldn't surrender. But Swan's basic follow-up -- a
"how?" and a single key statistic -- forced Trump into a de facto
surrender ("It's under control as much as you can control it")
Trump said, "They are dying. That's true. And you have -- it is what it is. But that
doesn't mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as
much as you can control it."
Donald Trump "It is what it is"
Trump went on to say MANY other outrageous things. In the interview, Swan also queries Trump on Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights leader, who recently died, and finds Trump would not attend the funeral, seemingly in part because Lewis did not attend his inauguration.
There is a detailed list of the numerous false claims Trump made during the interview on the CNN Politics site. Of course, the media has had a field day with this. Even Vanity Fair, Vogue and the NFL got into it, and there are videos of the interview, which is asonunding to watch in its entirety, on YouTube (links below).
Tonight Show Host, Jimmy Fallon said, “ . . . the sit-down was “so bad it made his coronavirus briefings look good.” - Vanity Fair (link below).
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
ABC News ~ Donald Trump whipped out the charts to make his case about coronavirus. They didn't help
Axios ~ Full "Axios on HBO" interview with President Trump
CNN Politics ~ Jonathan Swan reveals the simple secret to exposing Trump's lies: basic follow-up questions
Harper's Bazaar ~ Watch This Interview of Donald Trump If You Want to Ruin Your Day
Hollywood Reporter ~ Axios mocked on Twitter - a mockumentary 'This Is Spinal Tap.'
Mother Jones ~ The 3 Worst Moments From Trump’s Newest Axios Interview
NBC News ~ Trump's 'Axios on HBO' interview proves how much he relies on marketing to counter reality
Newsweek ~ 5 Takeaways From Trump's Axios Interview
YouTube link:
HBO ~ AXIOS: President Trump Exclusive Interview (Full Episode) (37:54)
Finally, a journalist with BALLS!
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, August 5, 2020
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