President Trump’s security chief kicked reporters out of a White House photo op because they tried to do their jobs and ask the President questions.
You can hear the reporters beginning to ask questions at the end of Trump’s statement:
Julie Davis of The New York Times tweeted what happened next off camera:
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Keith Schiller, ex-Trump security chief now head of Oval Offc Ops, intervened in Trump photo op 2day & yelled 4 reporters asking qs to leave
— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) March 10, 2017
This behavior mirrors what happened to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell when she tried to ask questions during a photo op:
https://youtu.be/rCG8SZfeirQ
The White House apparently expects reporters not to question the president or members of his administration. Members of the press are supposed to stand there quietly and take down what Trump has to say without questioning a word.
Trump’s has gone dark and not taken any questions from reporters since his claim last week that President Obama wiretapped him during the presidential campaign. This is not a president who wants to be held accountable by either the press or the American people.
The message to reporters is that they question Trump at their own risk.
If reporters dare to ask a question, they should prepare to be yelled at or kicked out, because the White House no longer belongs to the people. The White House is being treated like it is the personal property of Donald Trump.
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
