President Trump reportedly huddled in the Oval Office with Matt Drudge

Matt Drudge attends the White House Correspondents&#039; Dinner in 2005.

(Image credit: Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

published 27 April 2017

President Trump has been known to call up television anchors to complain about coverage and feed his own leaks to the tabloids, and in the White House, that sharp sense for shaping the media has not waned. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, for example, has already learned that the best way to satisfy his boss is to ask what he wants to see on TV that day before briefing the press, Politico reports.

It is perhaps no surprise then that Trump has reportedly huddled in the Oval Office with the creator and editor of the massively popular Drudge Report:

…Trump continues to crave attention and approval from news media figures. Trump huddled in the Oval Office with Matt Drudge, the reclusive operator of the influential Drudge Report, to talk about his administration and the site. Drudge and Kushner have also begun to communicate frequently, said people familiar with the conversations. Drudge, whose visits to the White House haven't previously been reported, didn't respond to a request for comment. [Politico]

Drudge has been critical of the Trump administration in recent weeks, saying in early April that "we are trying to save this young Trump administration. And I do think there is a crisis — on many fronts." Trump is also a known reader of Drudge's website, too, retweeting the publication even at odd hours of the night.

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Read more about how Trump is promoting his agenda to the media and his meeting at the White House with Drudge at Politico.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.