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CNN’s David Axelrod said Monday that it was “refreshing” to see President Trump take questions from journalists the first day he took office.
“I think he also, he said, ‘Did Biden do this?’ “I think he wanted to draw a contrast with (former President) Biden, by holding this rolling press conference,” Axelrod said.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper said it was rare to see something like that, referring to the president taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, just hours after taking the oath of office.
“And there’s a reason for that, because a president’s words can actually march armies and crash markets and have real consequences,” Axelrod said. “I think it’s comforting for presidents; I mean, I was among those who criticized President Biden’s lack of exposure. And I think it’s good for presidents to be exposed. It’s better if they tell the truth when they tell.” “We are doing it,” he added.
David Axelrod said Monday that it was refreshing to see President Trump chat with reporters. (Screenshot/CNN)
Axelrod also criticized Trump for forgive the January 6 rioters, one of his first acts, criticizing the president for referring to them as “hostages.”
“These are people who confessed or were convicted of crimes related to the looting of the Capitol to try to stop the legal process of certifying an American election,” he said. “And the only defense I can think of for this action today is that those people went there because the president of the United States told them an abject lie that the election had been stolen and that something inappropriate was happening.”
Sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, Trump approved the release of more than 1,500 defendants charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The order requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to act immediately upon receiving the pardons.
“Tonight I’m going to sign pardons for the J6 hostages to get them out,” Trump said at an event with supporters in Washington.
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President Donald Trump arrives before his inauguration at the United States Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins noted later in the discussion that Trump had spoken to the press for 45 minutes.
During his exchange with journalists, Trump discovered the letter Biden left him, a tradition for outgoing presidents.
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Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
