CNN Interviews Reporter Criticized for Wearing Mask in the Oval Office: ‘It‘s Not About the Mask, It Is About Attacks on Journalism’

TAPPER: “And you also wrote about, and we should note that we asked you to come on, because you wrote about this for the San Francisco Chronicle. You also wrote about President Trump singling you out last month for wearing a mask in the Oval Office. Let‘s play that moment.”

[Clip starts]

STEIN: “ — return education control to the states. How would you handle it if a state like California were to put in place education policies you disagree with?”

Trump: “You know, I haven‘t seen a mask in so long. You‘re wearing a mask. So nice of you. I haven‘t seen anybody wearing a mask in a long time. It‘s good. You feel more comfortable, right?”

STEIN: “Yes.”

Trump: “Good. That‘s good.”

[Clip ends]

TAPPER: “So, that in itself, okay. But the Rapid Response account for the White House posted that exchange, and then they added two laughing emojis like they‘re — they‘re laughing at you. That‘s the Rapid Response. What was the response when Marjorie Taylor Greene and the White House Rapid Response, which I actually blame for this more than I do President Trump, what was the response from the public to this?”

STEIN: “I got a few people who sort of, you know, the typical comments about, you know, liberal wearing a mask, you must be a Democrat, et cetera. But I think I did get a good amount, especially when this piece published on the Chronicle‘s website, a good amount of people who were saying, thank you for talking about this. Thank you for showing that. It‘s not about the mask. It is about attacks on journalism. It is about attacks on individual journalists, not just folks who work at CNN or the Associated Press and The New York Times, but journalists who work at local newspapers like I do, journalists who cover school boards, who don‘t — have never set foot in Washington maybe, are being attacked. And the truth is not getting out there to what people are hearing. They‘re hearing this sort of cut-off version of what Marjorie Taylor Greene put out, they’re not hearing what actually happened, the full scope of the interaction.”