Reporter Booed For Telling Trump That Guests Aren't Social Distancing, Trump Says "It's A Peaceful Protest"

President Donald Trump held a press conference on Friday at a room in his country club in Bedminster that had guests in the back. A reporter told the president that they aren't properly socially distancing, standing six feet apart, but Trump said it was okay because it is a "peaceful protest." The guests audibly booed the reporter and applauded for the president after his protest quip.

"If the press in this country were honest and wasn't corrupt, if it wasn't fake, our country would be so much further ahead. But we're doing really great," Trump said before concluding the presser.

REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. President. You said that the pandemic is disappearing, but we lost 6000 Americans this week. And just in this room you have dozens of people who are not following the guidelines in New Jersey, which say you should not--

TRUMP: No, they don't have to. This is a political activity.

(BOOING)

You're wrong on that because it's a political activity. They have exceptions, political activity and --

QUESTION: No, it's--

TRUMP: And it's also a peaceful protest. So, when you have --

(LAUGHTER)

And as you know --

(APPLAUSE)

-- They asked if they could be here. You know, they -- a number of --

(APPLAUSE)

--And to me, they look like they all have--pretty much all have masks on. But, you know, you have an exclusion in the law. It says peaceful protest or political activity, right? In fact, specifically--yeah, it says exactly political activity or peaceful protest. And you can call it political activity, but I--I'd call it peaceful protest because they heard you were coming up. And they know the news is fake. They understand it better than anybody.

(APPLAUSE)

And they asked whether or not they asked whether or not they could be here. Like the question about Russia, he doesn't mention Iran was in the report. He doesn't mention or he mentions very late that China was in the report --

QUESTION: Neither one's --

TRUMP: Because that's the way they are. They're not -- if the press in this country were honest and wasn't corrupt, if it wasn't fake, our country would be so much further ahead. But we're doing really great.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you all very much. Thank you very much.

Trump says this is a political activity when asked about social distancing rules at his New Jersey press conference and says the visitors are here for peaceful protest. The crowd behind reporters cheered. pic.twitter.com/t5CW8O677w

— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) August 8, 2020