Jake Tapper slams Trump's 'unhinged' press conference: 'It was an airing of grievances. It was Festivus'
CNN anchor Jake Tapper blasted President Donald Trump's lengthy press conference Thursday afternoon, calling Trump's tirades against the media "wild" and "unhinged."
"It was an airing of grievances. It was Festivus," Tapper said.
Trump took questions from reporters for more than an hour after announcing his new nominee for Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta. He used much of the time to rage against negative coverage of his administration, and complained about specific reports on his campaign's ties to Russia.
Trump also criticized the officials who leaked information to the reporters while insisting the coverage was incorrect, at one point saying, "The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake."
Tapper took issue with Trump's "whining" rather than offering a "positive, optimistic view of what he's doing for the country," and suggested Americans would not view Trump's remarks favorably.
"If you are a soldier in harm's way right now, it you are a hungry child in Appalachia or the inner city … that's not a president who seemed rather focused on your particular needs and wants," Tapper said. "That's a president focused on his bad press."
Tapper continued: "A lot of Americans are going to watch that press conference and think: 'That guy is not focused on me. I don't even know what he's focused on.'"
View Tapper's full comments below: