Talk show icon Phil Donahue dispensed some advice to members of the news media who cover President Donald Trump: "don't be so sensitive."
The White House recently began disallowing cameras during press briefings, which along with the administration's continued hostility towards the mainstream media as seen by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders' denouncement of CNN, has widened the rift between reporters and Trump's staff.
"There are a lot of people in the press who can't take a punch," Donahue said on "MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle" Wednesday.
"Maybe I couldn't either, I don't remember, but I think it's important for you to be above this and keep doing what you're doing."
He added to reporters: "You're not supposed to be popular. You're supposed to tell people often what they don't want to hear. That's your job and of course the problem is, if you're not popular, you don't get promoted in the news game and somebody else will have to feed your kids.
"It's a tough dilemma for news," he concluded.
When asked how the media should respond to Trump's "KGB playbook" methods, Donahue said, "I think that the best way to handle this is to just keep working. Don't be so sensitive. Don't look like you have a glass jaw."
When asked what he meant, Donahue explained it as a boxing term for someone who gets knocked out by a weak "left jab" rather than a strong "right cross."
He added, "I think the press has to be above that. All you can do is pray that the people you serve will understand this and appreciate the job that you've got."
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