It's no secret that Donald Trump and the mainstream media doesn't see eye to eye. After increased issues with the media, a new report suggests that the president could soon be ending the Daily Press briefings all together.
Trump on the media
As Donald Trump made his announcement that he was going to run for president, he got off on the wrong foot with the media after referring to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." Through the entire 2016 presidential election, the majority of the press and the president have not been on the same page, with Trump publicly expressing his disdain for journalists, calling them "terrible" and some of the "worst people" he's ever met in his life.
The rift between both sides got so tense that reporters would often be harassed at Trump rallies leading up to Election Day. Since his upset win over Hillary Clinton,, the former host of "The Apprentice" has only increased his opposition to the media, routinely labeling any reports he doesn't agree with as "fake news." Earlier this year, Trump went as far as banning several well-respected news outlets from a press briefing at the White House. Recently, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has held several off-camera briefings with only a select group of reporters, which prompted instant backlash in response. As reported by the New York Times, and later Mediaite, on June 21, Trump could soon eliminate daily briefings at the White House.
Trump is discussing limiting White House briefings to once a week and asking reporters to submit written questions https://t.co/CvZdoXWjfo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 21, 2017
According to the New York Times, Donald Trump is mulling over whether or not to cancel the daily press briefings and change them to a weekly format.
In addition, Trump is also considering screening the questions that would be asked by reporters to avoid the embarrassment of Sean Spicer or his other advisers being caught off guard.
Trump Reportedly Considering Making Press Briefings Weekly And Screening Reporter Questionshttps://t.co/4t2pL8nnYp pic.twitter.com/g0kfRGJnYb
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) June 21, 2017
As per the New York Times, many outside advisers to the president, including Fox News host Sean Hannity and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have urged Donald Trump to "curtail the freewheeling, and often embarrassing, barrage of questions." Going further, Gingrich has reportedly pushed Trump to ponder whether or not to ban CNN from the press briefings due to their increased criticism of the administration.
Next up
While it's unknown when, or if, Donald Trump will pull the trigger on ending the daily press briefings at the White House, the recent struggle of his team has highlighted major problems with how the administration handles the media. Recent reports have claimed that Sean Spicer is actively searching for his own replacement, as he's been rumored to be getting a promotion to run the entire communication team, which would also get him away from interactions with the press in the process.
