Who needs the White House daily press briefing?
Ending it would bring real benefits to the country and be good for everyone — except the president
After another rough news week, US President Donald Trump suggested last Friday that he may cancel the daily White House press briefing. Although the comment caused some uproar, this appears to be another off-the-cuff remark that will later be abandoned. But the public shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the idea. Ending the daily briefing would bring real benefits to the country, and the only person who would really lose is the president. Every new administration complains that the daily briefing is a charade that allows the media to batter the White House’s policy. Yet no matter how badly the press secretary is doing, no president has gone so far as to cancel it. The reason is that the briefing is a powerful weapon against the opposition and Congress. Over the course of the past century, as the presidency has become more powerful, the White House has gained a strong hand in guiding the news to whatever subject the administration wants discussed. Official press conferences have always ...
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