MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [1-22-19] said he told White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ‘not to bother’ with press briefings anymore, and tried to blame the media for the increasingly rare events…Under the Trump administration, formal press briefings have become a rare occurrence, and are often marked with contentious exchanges and fewer questions. Following one short briefing in December, Breakfast Media’s Andrew Feinberg called out at Sanders to ‘do your job!’ Sanders and Trump have instead opted for less formal Q&A’s from different areas of the White House or while boarding Marine One, the president’s helicopter. And even during those exchanges, Trump has often expressed hostility to questions from the media. Trump held a extraordinary news conference from the White House in November, which resulted in a dramatic scene of scolding and insults. The president grew visibly irritated with CNN’s Jim Acosta over his questions concerning special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election and lambasted the White House correspondent after he talked over Trump to ask his question.”
–Matthew Choi, “Trump says he told Sarah Sanders ‘not to bother’ with press briefings,” Politico, January 22, 2019 9:12 am