White House press secretary dismisses critics, saying she's 'unorthodox' like Trump


White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham is defending the fact that she doesn't hold regular press briefings, saying it's because President Trump is "unorthodox in everything he's done" and his "press secretary and everyone else in the administration is reflective of that."
On Saturday, 13 former White House press secretaries and foreign service and military officials wrote an op-ed for CNN on the importance of press briefings. The White House's last traditional press briefing was on March 11, Axios reports, when Sarah Huckabee Sanders was still press secretary. The op-ed writers said the "process of preparing for regular briefings makes the government run better," and "using the powerful podiums of the State Department, Pentagon, and White House is a powerful tool for keeping our allies informed and letting our enemies know we are united in our determination to defeat them both on the battlefield and in the world of public diplomacy."
In response, Grisham told Axios' Mike Allen that the op-ed was "groupthink at its finest." She said the press has "unprecedented access to President Trump, yet they continue to complain because they can't grandstand on TV. They're not looking for information, they're looking for a moment."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The op-ed writers, she continued, "know my boss has probably spoken directly to the press more often than all of theirs did combined. They know the press secretary briefs in the absence of the president, and this president is never absent — a fact that should be celebrated. Like so many trailblazers, history will look back in this presidency with praise. Until then, I'm comfortable with how I do my jobs, and my team and I are always available to the press."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies