Trump threatens to cancel press briefings, hand out written responses instead

Sarah Huckabee Sanders added to the confusion of the press this week.

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

published 12 May 2017

President Trump threatened to end White House press briefings Friday, apparently because "it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at the podium with perfect accuracy." The president's comments come in response to outcry following comments made by Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders this week, in which she was exposed as being "in the dark" about Trump's process of firing FBI Director James Comey.

NBC News' Bradd Jaffy noticed a possible TV-to-tweet connection, citing Nicolle Wallace's criticism on Today on Friday. "That White House podium used to mean something, and now they send them out say, whatever," she said.

Sopan Deb of The New York Times responded to Trump's tweets by saying: "Honestly, this is not the worst idea in the world. What is the purpose given all the contradictions that come out of the press shop?" He added, "I mean, the other option is that they can be instructed to always tell the truth and be transparent."

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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.