Trump Insults Journalists During Florida Victory Speech
Donald Trump hosted supporters and the press at his Mar-A-Lago residence for an event billed as a “press conference.”
The hitch? He didn’t take any questions from the press.
Flanked by his closest aides and a couple of family members, Trump delivered a relatively brief 16-minute victory speech after racking up key victories Tuesday night before promptly leaving the stage — leaving the assembled press in the back rows of the room scrambling.
Here is the press release for tonight's "press conference" where @realDonaldTrump took no questions. pic.twitter.com/PVYMTKOKtr
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) March 16, 2016
As he then made his way out of the ballroom, reporters shouted “Mr. Trump, Mr. Trump,” trying to get the Republican front-runner’s attention.
The billionaire briefly turned around to face reporters before waving off questions and leaving the ballroom.
Trump’s refusal to take questions came after a night of big victories in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois. Trump faltered, though, in Ohio to home state Gov. John Kasich.
The real estate mogul’s decision not to take questions from the press also came hours after Politico published a report sharply criticizing Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
Trump decided not to take questions from the press after he railed against the hurdles of the campaign trail, including what he called the “lies, deceit, viciousness” and the “disgusting reporters.”
“Some really disgusting people back there,” Trump said of the press, which was restricted to the back two rows while the first 16 were filled with Trump supporters.
Reached later Tuesday night for comment, Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed Trump would not take any questions.
Asked why Trump did not take questions during an event billed as a “press conference,” Hicks responded: “Is that what it said?”
A media advisory sent by the campaign regarding the event described it as a “press conference.”