President Donald Trump abruptly ended his White House news conference on Monday after combative exchanges with two reporters.
Weijia Jiang of CBS asked Mr Trump why he was placing so much emphasis on the amount of coronavirus tests that have been conducted in the United States.
โWhy does that matter?โ Ms Jiang asked.
โWhy is this a global competition to you if everyday Americans are still losing their lives and weโre still seeing more cases every day?โ
Mr Trump replied that โtheyโre losing their lives everywhere in the world. And maybe thatโs a question you should ask China. Donโt ask me. Ask China that question.โ
He called for another question, and there was no immediate response.
โSir, why are you saying that to me, specifically?โ Ms Jiang asked.
Ms Jiang, who has worked for CBS News since 2015, was born in Xiamen, China, and emigrated to the United States with her family aged two.
Mr Trump said he would say that to โanyone who asks a nasty questionโ.
โItโs not a nasty question,โ Ms Jiang said. โWhy does that matter?โ
Mr Trump again asked for another question, then said, โNah, thatโs OKโ and waved off CNNโs Kaitlin Collins when she approached the microphone.
โYou pointed to me,โ Ms Collins said.
The president said: โI pointed to you and you didnโt respond.โ
Ms Collins said she was giving Jiang the time to finish her questioning, and added: โCan I ask a question?โ
With that, Mr Trump called an end to the news conference, held in the White House Rose Garden, and walked away from his lectern.
Ms Jiang and Ms Collins wore masks to the news conference, as did most reporters, following the recent news two White House employees โ an aide to Vice President Mike Pence and a valet to the president โ had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The exchanges came after Mr Trump insisted his administration had โmet the momentโ and โprevailedโ on coronavirus testing, even as the White House itself became a symbol of the risk facing Americans by belatedly ordering everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask.
Mr Trump addressed a Rose Garden audience filled with mask-wearing administration officials, some appearing publicly with face coverings for the first time during the pandemic.
The startling sight served only to further highlight the challenge the president faces in instilling confidence in a nation still reeling from the pandemic.
Mr Trump himself, not wearing a mask, sought to emphasise to the American people the steps being taken to ensure their safety โ in hope that will coax them to resume normal activities.
A shortage of coronavirus testing has long been a sore spot for the president, but he insisted anew that everyone who wanted a test could have one.
The pledge, first issued by Mr Trump more than two months ago, comes as governors across the country continue to call on the federal government to do more to boost supply to meet the requirements needed to begin โreopeningโ the nation.
The upbeat message was undercut by the new protective measures implemented to keep Mr Trump safe, evidenced by the absence of Mr Pence and three of the nationโs top medical experts, who were in various states of isolation after the cases of Covid-19 were confirmed among staffers in one of the most-protected complexes in America.
Press Association
