In China, President Trump did not take questions during an appearance with President Xi Jinping:
Asked why President Trump didn’t take questions from reporters today, Sarah Sanders said, “It was at the Chinese insistence there were no questions today.”
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 9, 2017
China isn’t supposed to have a say about press access. Previous press secs used to fight with Chinese counterparts for press access when in China. Witnessed personally. https://t.co/IWMgOoy7ZB
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 9, 2017
That news had some former Obama staffers trying to mock Trump as weak. Among them, Jay Carney and Ben Rhodes:
I once had to tell Chinese officials that Pres. Obama would not show up for the press avail unless there would be a Q&A. They backed down. https://t.co/Z2LdwSYK9k
— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) November 9, 2017
The Chinese try this every time. It’s a test of will and principle. Letting them dictate press access is an embarrassing capitulation. https://t.co/uIaEWhcpgF
— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) November 9, 2017
When Obama went to China we insisted that they take questions and they did. https://t.co/h5m8dcoyd1
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) November 9, 2017
Jake Tapper, after a good timeline of U.S. presidents and their visits to China, let former Obama staffers slamming Trump have it:
7/ but to all those former OBAMA aides out there heralding how great he was on this issue: In 2009 Obama didn’t take questions while in China with President Hu. “Today's event had been described as a press conference, but no questions were allowed.”https://t.co/hhUlIt3QIl
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 9, 2017
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8/ so it’s great that President Obama landed in the right place by the end of his presidency — but he didn’t start there. So all the Obama WH aides beating their chests on this: simmer down.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 9, 2017
Ouch! Washington Post reporter David Nakamura concurred with Tapper about Obama’s first visit to China as president:
On press access in China: today was not the first time that the Chinese did not allow questions in bilat with US president. In '09, Hu Jintao did not allow questions in a "joint press statement" with Obama. #thread
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 9, 2017
The Obama WH was ultimately embarrassed and looked weak. Years later aides brought up to me how burned they felt by @helenecooper story in which she called visit "minutely stage-managed" by Chinese.
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 9, 2017
Obama learned: never again in three successive summits with Chinese leaders did they not successfully demand Hu or Xi take a question, incl in '14 trip to Beijing. WH reporters saw aides negotiating intensely on that trip.
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) November 9, 2017
So much for the “Obama was super tough on China from the get-go” narrative.
Pod Save the Dude-bros going to lose their shit here https://t.co/7qhYNwjsRb
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) November 9, 2017
Awesome to watch @jaketapper take the likes of @JayCarney and @benrhodes to the woodshed. https://t.co/urdFjVHJ8v
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) November 9, 2017
Self-awareness is NOT among traits embraced by those former Obama staffers.
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