Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:35 pm
The saga of the on again, off again, on again, Trump meeting with The New York Times took a compelling turn as the Times reported that Trump initially canceled the meeting after his Chief of Staff Reince Priebus lied to him because he feared that Trump was in way over his head.
The New York Times reported, “Three people with knowledge of Mr. Trump’s initial decision to cancel the meeting said that Reince Priebus, the incoming White House chief of staff, had been among those urging the president-elect to cancel it, because he would face questions he might not be prepared to answer. It was Mr. Priebus who relayed to Mr. Trump, erroneously, that The Times had changed the conditions of the meeting, believing it would result in a cancellation, these people said. A spokesman for Mr. Trump declined to comment on Mr. Priebus’s role.”
Trump’s own staff doesn’t believe that the man who has been elected to serve as the next President Of The United States is knowledgeable enough about the issues to answer questions from journalists. Their lack of faith in Trump explains why the President-elect has yet to hold a press conference, and why the incoming administration is insisting that all sessions with Trump be off the record.
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The Times deserves praise because unlike the television networks they did not agree to Mr. Trump’s demands of off the record only sessions. The New York Times held firm, and Trump caved.
If the mainstream media does not push back against Trump, they are going to get steamrolled into becoming state-run media for his administration.
What should be alarming to every American is that the man who will be the next president is so unprepared that he can’t do on the record interviews. Trump is looking more and more like a clueless figurehead of a president who is being manipulated by those beneath him.
The fact that Trump can’t handle simple questions from reporters does not bode well for his prospects of leading the most powerful country in the world.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
