President Donald Trump complimented ABC News’ ‘Jon Karl Friday, surprising him during a round taking questions on the coronavirus pandemic response from the press.
After Karl asked a question, Trump said, “Your book was very good, by the way. It was better than I thought it would be. It was actually a very good book but it was actually better about me than I thought it would be. I appreciate it. You’ve known me for a long time.”
Karl’s “Front Row at the Trump Show,” released March 31, details his 25-year history of reporting on the real estate tycoon who became a reality television star who became a president.
When Trump congratulated Karl and asked how the book was doing, he replied that it’s a best-seller. Later, Karl, who also serves as president of the White House Correspondents Association, tweeted, “I did not see this coming . . . .”
His failure to predict that compliment isn’t wholly surprising, given that just a month ago, on April 6, Trump called him a “third-rate reporter” who “will never make it.”
During Friday’s sudden shower of praise on Karl’s book, Trump recalled an interview he sat for with Karl before he announced his presidential run, saying the journalist got “guff” for it, but, of course, also got good ratings.
“It turned out to be a very interesting interview, sort of the first,” he said.