Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Attacking members of the mainstream media is nothing new for President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly described journalists as “the enemy of the people” and providers of “fake news.” This week, one of Trump’s targets was NBC News’ Peter Alexander, who CNN’s John King is vigorously defending.

During a press conference on the coronavirus crisis, Alexander asked Trump, “What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?” And Trump angrily responded, “I say that you’re a terrible reporter. That’s what I say. I think it’s a very nasty question. And I think it’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people. The American people are looking for answers, and they’re looking for hope — and you’re doing sensationalism.”

In response, King gave Trump a vehement tongue-lashing on CNN, telling his colleague, Kaitlan Collins, that there was no justification whatsoever for the president’s “bullshit attack” on an NBC News reporter.

“What the president did to Peter Alexander is reprehensible,” King told Collins. “The American people are looking for answers. They do want hope, they do want support. Mr. President, that was a very fair question.”

The CNN reporter continued, “I get (that) there are, at times, disagreements…. between politicians and reporters. That was a 100 percent legitimate question with no hype, no shade, no bias. He just wanted to attack.”