Press conferences take back seat in the bus during Trump administration

Reporters are complaining that under the Trump administration, press briefings have become rare, brief and uninformative. Some believe that the failure to hold briefings reflects the disarray in the White House, the conflicts between the president’s tweets and what others in the administration are saying and disrespect of the press in their role in informing the public. (CNN, July 18, 20198, by Brian Stelter)

The Associated Press declared in April that the presidential news conference was dead since more than a year passed since President Donald Trump held one. He sometimes answers shouted questions at bill signings or departures or arrivals at the White House. But even when he holds still to entertain press queries, he often dodges hard questions or simply ends the session. In his first year, Obama held 11 solo conferences, Bush junior five and Clinton 12. (WTOP, April 30, 2018, by The Associated Press)