The president and the press
How the press went from "the best friend the country has" to the "enemy of the American people" in the eyes of America's presidents
Aug. 25, 1939
President Franklin D. Roosevelt speaks to reporters at a press conference in the executive office.
May 8, 1945
President Harry Truman tells newsmen details of Germany's surrender during a press conference at the White House.
Feb. 25, 1953
President Dwight D. Eisenhower faces reporters at a news conference.
Jan. 25, 1961
President John F. Kennedy begins his first news conference as president in the auditorium of the new State Department building.
Oct. 20, 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson displays the incision from his gall bladder surgery and kidney stone removal at a news conference at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington.
Jan. 27, 1969
President Richard Nixon answers questions from reporters at his first news conference as president in the East Room of the White House.
Oct. 5, 1974
President Gerald Ford laughs with Bob Hope as they talk with reporters outside Bethesda Naval Hospital.
July 1, 1979
President Jimmy Carter meets with reporters aboard Air Force One.
Aug. 14, 1981
President Ronald Reagan speaks to reporters, alongside his dog, Millie, after signing landmark legislation cutting the federal budget.
May 5, 1991
President George H. W. Bush talks with reporters from his window at Bethesda Naval Medical Center: "Don't worry about me!"
June 15, 1993
President Bill Clinton teases an ABC reporter during a news conference in the White House briefing room.
August 21, 2002
President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld speak to the press outside the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, seven months before the start of the Iraq War.
Jan. 22, 2009
President Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the Oval Office after signing an executive order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Sept. 14, 2017
President Donald Trump responds to a reporter's question as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.
