The way Donald Trump and his administration have behaved toward the press and made every effort to keep America in the dark is absolutely disgusting. Over the last few months, White House press briefings have become pretty much nonexistent as the White House tries to shield itself from ridicule and negative coverage.
It’s been quite a while since there was a real on-camera news briefing, and today the White House Correspondents Association blasted Trump for a lack of transparency and for doing away with traditional briefings. Because clearly, the president’s impromptu run-ins with the press on the White House lawn aren’t cutting it. WHCA’s President Oliver Knox said:
This retreat from transparency and accountability sets a terrible precedent. Being able to question the press secretary or other senior government officials publicly helps the news media tell Americans what their most powerful representatives are doing in their name. While other avenues exists to obtain information, the robust, public back-and-forth we’ve come to expect in the James A. Brady briefing room helps highlight that no one in a healthy republic is above being questioned.”
Interestingly enough, soon after this statement was made, Director of the U.S. National Economic Council Larry Kudlow spoke to reporters in the briefing room.
Meanwhile, Trump was having yet another meltdown on Twitter over why he didn’t have White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders doing daily press briefings anymore. Basically, Trump has told Sanders to stop doing her job because the press holds her accountable:
The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the “podium” much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press. I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2019
Featured image via screen capture
