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Who is Zeke Miller? WHCA president mocked for slamming Trump's 'outrageous' trip from hospital to wave at fans

WHCA President Zeke Miller posted a statement on his Twitter that called POTUS’ act 'outrageous' as he briefly went out of Walter Reed Medical Center in his SUV to wave at his supporters

President Donald Trump was blasted by The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) for stepping out of the hospital to wave at his supporters on Sunday, October 4. WHCA President Zeke Miller posted a statement on his Twitter calling POTUS’ act "outrageous" as he briefly went out of the Walter Reed Medical Center in his SUV to make that gesture to his supporters.  

Miller’s statement from WHCA read, "It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital — even briefly — amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their president is and how he is doing. Now more than ever, the American public deserves independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health." 

The statement came after POTUS tweeted a video on October 4 in which he said he planned to go and say hello to the dozens of supporters. People supporting Trump had gathered near Walter Reed hospital with American flags in their hands. One such video was also posted by Trump from his Twitter handle where he thanked his supporters. As Trump promised to make a “surprise visit” for his supporters, moments later, videos emerged on the Internet showing POTUS’ motorcade passing by, with a masked Trump waving from the back seat. A journalist tweeted the video, “Trump in his motorcade waving at the crowd and press outside the Water Reed Hospital. Hope his driver and security detail accompanying in the car remains safe from COVID19.” 

This act triggered immediate safety concerns and outrage as he is infected with Covid-19, which is a highly contagious virus. There have been many doubts as to how Trump is doing after his diagnosis and whether he is recovering well. On October 4, POTUS’ physician, Navy Cmdr Dr Sean Conley, held a second medical briefing to reportedly stating that the president has had at least two concerning drops in oxygen levels. However, Trump’s medical team is hoping that he could be discharged as early as Monday, October 5, from Walter Reed as reported by CNN. 

After Trump made the waving gesture, deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said, "President Trump took a short, last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters outside and has now returned to the Presidential Suite inside Walter Reed," as reported by The Hill. However, by that time Trump has already been blasted for his act, most notably by Zeke Miller, a White House reporter for The Associated Press.

Who is Zeke Miller?

As per the WHCA website, Miller is a White House reporter for The Associated Press. He is also the current president of WHCA, an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the POTUS. A New York native, Miller received a BA in Political Science from Yale University in 2011 where he was an editor and reporter at the Yale Daily News.    

That period marked his beginning in the field of journalism. Miller shared his experience in his early college days as reported by Politico, "The editor of my college newspaper in my sophomore year assigned me to the state politics beat. It meant my stories rarely ran outside the bottom corner of page 7, but I caught the bug and never looked back."

Elaborating on Miller's journalistic endeavors with various publications, WHCA reports that until October 2017, Miller was the White House correspondent for TIME, where he worked since 2013 as a political reporter covering the White House, national politics, and the 2016 presidential campaign. The site further mentions that he was the first White House correspondent at BuzzFeed and covered the 2012 presidential election. Before that, Miller covered politics for Business Insider. 

As soon as Miller’s strong criticism of POTUS made its way to social media, Trump supporters took to Twitter to slam him. Many people criticized Miller saying he does not know more than Trump’s doctor. A user ridiculed Miller over his criticism of Trump saying, "But Dr. Zeke Miller knows better!" Another user criticized Miller saying, "White House Correspondents Asso. Pres, including Zeke Miller, has no authority." Another user tweeted, "Zeke Miller's medical degree." 

Another user slammed Miller and wrote, "WHCA President inserts himself in a situation he knows nothing about? LOL. Does he believe he knows more than President Trump's doctors at Walter Reed? Zeke Miller needs to start working on a cure for TDS. Ya all are going mentally insane." Another user blasted him and wrote, "Zeke Miller... sounds like a disease worse than Covid."