Donald Trump suggested that the news coverage of the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is detracting from other attention-worthy stories.
Trump, 79, was asked about the case while aboard Air Force One on Thursday. Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Feb. 1. Her last known location was her Tucson, Arizona home.
After talking about some of the details that investigators have released to the public—like how Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected the morning of her disappearance—Trump said that while the situation was “bad,” it shouldn’t dominate headlines.
“We have to start reporting on other subjects also, and see what happens,” he told Fox News’ Peter Doocy. “It’s a very sad situation.”
When reached for comment, the White House pointed the Daily Beast to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying at a Feb. 10 briefing that “the prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time.”
On Wednesday, multiple outlets reported that the FBI has been in contact with Mexican authorities to be on the lookout for Guthrie. Tucson is about an hour’s drive from the southern border.
There are no persons of interest or suspects in the case. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that all Guthrie’s family members were cleared.
The Guthrie family has been receiving ransom notes that included a demand for payment in the form of bitcoin.
As for other comments by Trump about the matter, he said this week that the death penalty would be appropriate for Guthrie’s abductors if they didn’t release her unharmed.
A few days into the search, the president announced on Truth Social that he was “directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY.”
“We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely,” he wrote on Feb. 4. “The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward in the case.
