During a televised Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Trump not only hijacked the meeting to spread racial disinformation, but also publicly insulted and mocked an NBC News journalist Peter Alexander in front of both U.S. and international delegations.

When the reporter asked a legitimate question the luxury plane the Qatari government is gifting the United States, Trump lashed out, calling him a “terrible reporter” and a “jerk”.

“You are a terrible reporter. Number one, you don’t have what it takes to be a reporter. You are not smart enough".

“They are so terrible, the way you run that network, and you are a disgrace,” he griped. “No more questions from you!”

At one point he called him a “jerk”, pretending he didn’t know his name while going on about the white genocide conspiracy theory.

This was not just unprofessional.

It was deeply inappropriate, abusive and in any organisation would constitute violation to how people behave in a workplace -- especially in a setting meant to showcase international diplomacy. 

Trump’s behavior didn’t just target a journalist — it undermined press freedom, humiliated a fellow American in front of foreign leaders, and further damaged the U.S. reputation abroad.

We call on President Donald Trump and the White House communications office to issue a public apology to the NBC News reporter Peter Alexander who was verbally attacked and insulted in the Oval Office

Apologize to NBC for your behaviour and the American people for your behaviour.

The American press is not the enemy — and no journalist should be publicly berated for doing their job.