One of the fatal mistakes conservatives make when reporters approach them is to accept the assumptions underlying the reporter’s questions. Up in Canada, though, conservative Member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre, who is one of the Canadians who refuses to go along with Justin Trudeau’s hard-left agenda, refused to do that with a reporter. It’s wonderful.

Of course, the most famous “gotcha” question is, “Are you still beating your wife?” The underlying assumption is that you are or once were beating your wife. The credulous person might answer “No,” not realizing that he’s conceded that, in fact, he was beating his wife. Without first challenging the assumption, there is no correct answer.

That’s an obvious one, of course, but the media approaches conservative politicians with questions like that all the time. Indeed, it does that to all politicians regardless of political orientation. The difference is that the questions lobbed at leftists are the political equivalent of “Are you still being the most wonderful husband in the world to your wife?” For them, there’s no wrong answer.

And no, I can’t think of any specific examples off the top of my head. The best that I can do is direct you to Scott Pelley’s love bombing Joe Biden this past Sunday on 60 Minutes. Every question was a softball, requiring only that Biden agree with the supportive assumptions:

Scott Pelley's latest softball interview with Biden on '60 Minutes' ends by underlining Biden's apparent love of Israel, and how he wants to run again to make everything better. Tick tick tick. More 'Syrupy Minutes' on CBS. pic.twitter.com/mK3VIoNdYi

— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) October 16, 2023

Meanwhile, when Trump was in office, every question was, “Are you still a racist hater?” Trump battled back but, too often, he didn’t expose the fallacies underlying the question. He just insulted the reporter. And again, I can’t think of specific examples, but you share the same memories I do, so you know what I’m talking about.

But up in Canada, Poilievre didn’t fight with the reporter at all. Nor did he go off on a prepared stump speech that left the reporter’s leftist assumptions hanging in the air, which allows viewers to absorb them as true.

Instead, while casually munching an apple, Poilievre insisted that the reporter define his terms and support his assertions. Then, when the reporter was brought to his knees, Poilievre simply and clearly made his case. It was minimalism at its best. This one video is a master class in dealing with the leftist media:

.@PierrePoilievre HUMILIATES left-wing journalist, casually flips script on him while eating an apple.

This is how it's done 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HEpomb1xOZ

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) October 17, 2023

I’m one of those people who hates watching embarrassing things on TV or in movies. If I know the scene will be embarrassing, I take off my glasses and plug my ears. I almost had that urge to do both when watching Poilievre destroy the reporter. What Poilievre did to him was that brutal. Then I thought, “No, this reporter is a leftist hack. I’m not watching something painfully embarrassing. I’m watching something absolutely beautiful.”

Image: X screen grab.