During a sit-down interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump unexpectedly told host Kristen Welker that she has “a huge role to play” as a reporter. potential”.
The former president reiterated a baseless allegation that the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol “deleted and destroyed” a year and a half of testimony and evidence.
“I think these guys committed a major crime,” Trump said at one point during a wide-ranging conversation with Welker. He added that committee members such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who serves as vice chair, should “go to jail.”
When Welker pointed out to Trump that committee members had denied the claim, the former president cut short the conversation and took a shot at the host.
“You know, you have this potential,” he told Welker. “If you can be impartial – you’re doing yourself a disservice.” (Watch the full interview here.)
Trump has a history of insulting prominent black female journalists. In July, he accused ABC News’ senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, who is Black, of asking a question in a “horrible way” during a controversial Q&A session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.
Trump has previously made disparaging remarks about Welker, who is also black. He repeatedly criticized her days before she moderated the final 2020 presidential debate with Joe Biden, calling her “horrible and unfair.” Serves as chief White House correspondent for NBC News.
There was much to take away from Welker’s meeting with Trump, his first online television interview since his re-election last month. But etiquette experts believe there’s a lot to be said for his choice to discuss Welker’s “potential” in particular.
On October 22, 2020, Kristen Welker moderated the final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. JIM BOURG via Getty Images
Is Trump’s rhetoric about Welker’s “potential” a ploy?
Jackie Vernon-Thompson, founder and CEO of From the Inside-Out Etiquette School, said she believed Trump’s comments were a “blatant tactic” designed to “disparage” Welker , in order to gain control and power during the interview.
“Many people have witnessed Mr. Trump’s power play tactics over the years,” she told The Huffington Post. “It’s really a strategy.”
Vernon-Thompson also pointed out that Trump has a history of talking to women in ways that “may appear to be misogynistic,” and this exchange with Welker was no exception.
Vernon-Thompson said Welker, 48, is “an experienced journalist who is well established in the industry and very talented.” and environment”.
“This is Mr. Trump’s attempt,” she said. “Obviously, that doesn’t work because he’s really talking to someone who has a position of his own.”
Jody Smith, an etiquette consultant who specializes in social and professional behavior, said Trump’s comments about Welker were strategic in two ways: an attempt to regain power and an attempt to distract.
“It’s an indirect ‘compliment’ designed to distract from the real topic and shift the focus of the conversation to an irrelevant conversation,” Smith, president and owner of Manna Smith, told The Huffington Post , thus damaging the reporter’s credibility.
“Blowing the whistle tells the target, and anyone listening, that they are not adhering to their assigned role. “
Is it appropriate to tell a woman that she has “potential” in a professional setting?
Smith explains that a person’s tone and the context in which the comment is made are key.
She said it can be very “positive” for a mentor to talk to a mentee in a feedback situation, while noting that Trump’s comments about Welker, a “seasoned, award-winning professional,” clearly did not occur in that context of.
Vernon-Thompson believes people should be “very cautious” about using the word “potential” in this way in professional settings. She said telling a woman she had “potential” in the workplace could be “condescending” or could show a “lack of respect.”
“There’s a time and a place for this,” Vernon Thompson said. “Public is definitely not the place. It’s certainly not appropriate in the middle of a debate or heated discussion.
She noted that it may be appropriate to talk about a person’s “potential” in conversations between superiors and subordinates because such conversations are “well-intentioned and intended to motivate them and show them that their superiors see and believe that their potential and abilities”.
What should you do if you are the target of similar statements about your “potential”?
First, you should realize that the person making the comment has “showed you their cards,” Smith said.
“They feel threatened by you in some way. It’s a ‘tell,'” she says, recommending that you record your interactions with that person.
“When you meet with this person, include other people,” she said. “If it’s not your manager, get your manager in trouble. If it’s your manager, talk to HR.
Vernon-Thompson recommends staying “calm, confident and self-respecting.” (Unlike Welker herself, she continued to talk to Trump about the Jan. 6 committee, nonstop, after Trump spoke of her “potential.”)
“Keep the posture. Keep the posture [your] Lift your head. Keep eye contact,” Vernon Thompson said. “Recognize this attempt mentally immediately and move forward with determination and determination.”
“Start strong and finish strong,” she added. “Because you are good enough.”
