Seeing which president went first, CNN, MSNBC and BBC World News also leapt back and forth between the two empty podiums. As they waited, CNN called the Trump appearance a “press conference” on the lower third of the screen In a rare display of discipline and likely aware of the current commander-in-chief’s looming joint appearance with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump declined to take questions from the media after giving remarks on his meetings Thursday in D.C. with GOP members of the House and Senate.