Trump: Our most divisive vampire president? – Orlando Sentinel

The hyperbole attaches to President Donald Trump, our showman president, with astonishing regularity.

His 100th day in the White House, Saturday, was no different. Instead of attending the White House Correspondents Dinner, Trump traveled to Pennsylvania to give a speech and generated fierce and strange reactions.

"This was the most divisive speech I've ever heard from a sitting American president," CNNs David Gergen said.

Gergen complained that Trump played to his base and treated opponents like the enemy. "I think it was a deeply disturbing speech," said Gergen, who has served four presidents.

Kate Bennett, a White House reporter for CNN, said that Trump fed off the audience, a remark that made the president sound like a vampire.

Bennett later tweeted: @realDonaldTrump proving again my vampire theory. He needs to leave the bat cave (WH) for sustenance (rally cries) every few weeks.

Any wonder Trump hates the press? On Saturday, he attacked CNN (fake news), MSNBC (fake news), The New York Times (incompetent, dishonest people) and the media in general (a disgrace).

Trump said he was happy to skip the White House Correspondents' dinner: I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away from Washington's swamp, spending my evening with all of you and with a much, much larger crowd and much better people.

The president missed the pointed remarks of comedian Hasan Minhaj of The Daily Show.

Minhaj drew on a comedy legend: Don Rickles died just so you wouldnt ask him to do this gig, all right? RIP to Don Rickles, the only Donald with skin thick enough to take a joke like that.

But Minhaj also took no prisoners in assessing the media, which Trump might have appreciated. Remember election night? That was your Steve Harvey/Miss Universe moment, he told the assembled reporters.

Minhaj went after each of the main cable news channels. To Fox News, he said: It finally happened. Bill OReilly has been fired. But then, you gave him a $25 million severance package. Making it the only package he wont force a woman to touch.

The comedians take on MSNBC: I had a lot more MSNBC jokes, but I dont want to just ramble on, otherwise I might get a show on MSNBC.

Minhaj told CNN: You guys got some really weird trust issues with the public. Im not going to call you fake news, but everything isnt breaking news.

Without Trump in the room, the journalists heard a lecture from Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who brought down President Richard Nixon with their reporting for The Washington Post.

Trump and Minhaj supplied theater Saturday night. Bernstein and Woodward put the focus on journalism.

Bernstein reminded the audience: Underlying everything reporters do in pursuing the best attainable version of the truth, whatever our beat or assignment, is the question, What is news? What is it that we believe is important?

Woodward added: Journalists should not have a dog in the political fight except to find that best attainable version of the truth. The indispensable centrality of fact-based reporting is careful, scrupulous listening and an open mind.

President Trump makes it harder to find that best attainable version of the truth. But the pursuit of that truth will continue, no matter his criticisms of the media.

He gets criticized often, but that comes with the job.

The media get blasted often, but it comes with the territory.

The First Amendment its a wonderful thing.

hboedeker@orlandosentinel.com

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Trump: Our most divisive vampire president? - Orlando Sentinel