Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:12 pm
Hillary Clinton held her sixth press conference in three weeks today, while Donald Trump has gone into hiding and hasn’t taken questions from reporters since July.
Sopan Deb of CBS News pointed out Trump’s dodge:
Clinton is going to have her sixth press avail in about three weeks today. Trump hasn't held a newser since end of July at Doral.
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— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) September 19, 2016
Trump is avoiding the reporters who know him best. The Republican nominee avoids the embedded press who are covering his campaign, and instead can be found hanging out on one network in particular.
Donald Trump has vanished from the Sunday public affairs programs, but he did do a taped interview for Fox News’s Media Buzz:
https://youtu.be/f403U5uZOe4
Trump is back to doing his weekly with Fox and Friends propaganda segment:
https://youtu.be/3GTRabASaY8
Trump’s consistent schedule on media is a Monday morning appearance on Fox and Friends, and Wednesday chit-chats with Fox News pal Sean Hannity. Trump does more talking about taking freedom away from the press than he does talking to the legitimate political press that has been assigned to cover his campaign.
The shift is clear. Hillary Clinton is behaving like a president by making herself available to the press, while Donald Trump is hiding from the people who know his campaign best.
The hide on Fox News tactic has become popular with Republicans who can’t handle difficult questions. Even more so than Sarah Palin, Donald Trump wilts or self-destructs when faced with any serious questioning.
It is interesting that part of Trump’s debate preparation appears to be to hide from media scrutiny. It seems like a recipe for disaster. Trump is already trying to work debate moderator Lester Holt by complaining that the debates are going to be unfair to him.
The Republican strategy for the homestretch of the presidential election is to keep Trump away from any media that might ask him a difficult question. While Hillary Clinton is behaving like a person who could be the next President Of The United States, Trump is hiding, and hoping that he can win in November by laying low and being coddled by Fox News.
It is a strategy that is destined to fail.
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
