Joy Behar Grills White House Reporter on Trump Pressers: “Get Up and Say Something!”

Add Joy Behar to the list of stars calling for the White House press corps to skip President Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings. On Tuesday, The View co-host grilled ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl — who Trump called a “third-rate reporter” during Monday’s presser — about his colleagues’ refusal to correct Trump’s misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. “You should get up and say something!” yelled Behar. “‘You’re lying! That’s not true!’ Just say it, for us!”

After a heated coronavirus briefing on Monday night, The View co-hosts had plenty to discuss with ABC’s Karl this morning. “Yesterday when I saw the press conference, I was horrified,” Meghan McCain told him. “You are the last journalist on planet Earth I would consider a hack. And the reason why you have the great reputation you do is because you are trusted by both sides.”

Behar echoed McCain’s sentiment. “I watched the debacle yesterday and I was furious when he called you a third-rate reporter. I wanted you to say, ‘No, darling. You are a third-rate president,'” she said. The longtime co-host added that the White House correspondents need to “call [Trump] out on his lying” and “follow up on questions” that go unanswered.

“And if you can’t get a real good answer, the correct answer, I want you all to get up and walk out,” continued Behar. “That’s what I want. Can you do that? For me, for your fellow Americans that are watching this in horror?”

“I understand what you’re saying, but that’s something that I would never do,” replied Karl. “I think it is my job to report on what’s happening there, to ask the questions.” The ABC reporter acknowledges that while the president’s personal attacks are “frustrating” and can make it “tempting to walk out,” it wouldn’t be responsible to do so. “Look, he can insult me all he wants — I don’t care. It doesn’t matter,” said Karl. “What matters is getting to the bottom of what is happening with the federal response and how people should be responding to this crisis.”

Behar again urged Karl to speak up against Trump’s lies, but halfway through her plea, she realized her monologue was in vain. “Do what you have to do, Jonathan. What can I tell you?” she asked. “It’s a depressing situation.” That it is, Joy. That it is.

Watch Joy Behar grill Jonathan Karl in the clip above.

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