CBS’s Paula Reid embraces Trump insult: I’m ‘nothing like 50’s American archetypal mom’

CBS White House correspondent Paula Reid on Tuesday embraced a dig from President Trump that she is not like iconic actress Donna Reed, who often portrayed a ’50s housewife in film and television, with Reid responding: “Fact Check: True.” 

The response from Reid, who has clashed with the president on several occasions during White House coronavirus task force briefings, came after Trump singled her out, along with CBS colleague Weijia Jiang, for their “attitude” during questioning. Trump contrasted the two to Donna Reed, who captured four Emmy nominations as housewife Donna Stone on “The Donna Reed Show” that ran on ABC from 1958-1966. The late actress also played Mary Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” in 1946. 

“It wasn’t Donna Reed, I can tell you that,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Post.

“Paula Reid, she’s sitting there and I say, ‘How angry. I mean, what’s the purpose?’ They’re not even tough questions, but you see the attitude of these people, it’s like incredible,” he added.

Reid responded with a tweet to her more than 266,000 followers. 

“President Trump tells @nypost I am nothing like 50’s American archetypal mom Donna Reed. Fact-check: True,” she wrote, earning more than 17,000 likes. 

President Trump tells @nypost I am nothing like 50’s American archetypal mom Donna Reed. Fact-check: True. pic.twitter.com/sUTgWwsNX9

— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) May 5, 2020

Jiang also responded to the president on Twitter. “I can confirm @PaulaReidCBS reporting here. But I wouldn’t describe us as ‘irritating,'” she wrote. 

I can confirm @PaulaReidCBS’ reporting here. But I wouldn’t describe us as “irritating”. https://t.co/YI5FZNg0jX

— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) May 5, 2020

Trump also told the New York tabloid that coronavirus task force briefings will return. 

“You know, we didn’t stop them. I mean, this is breaking, this, but we didn’t stop them. Because we’ll probably do maybe one a week, sometimes two depending on the news, but Kayleigh’s going to be able to do them,” the president said.

“We’ll do them. We get a lot of people watching, and it’s the way that you get around fake news. In other words, I have a much bigger audience than anybody’s ever had,” he added.