ELECTION/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump had an unusual entourage this week as George Stephanopoulos and an ABC News crew followed him to Iowa and met him at the White House for the president’s first network news interview in more than four months, a sign that Trump may be hoping to reach beyond his base ahead of his formal 2020 campaign launch next week. Trump has given dozens of interviews to Fox News and Fox Business hosts, but he’s largely ignored the broadcast networks since taking office. As president, Trump has only done two interviews for Sunday shows, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS correspondent who tracks Trump’s appearances. In most presidential administrations, an interview with a major network news anchor wouldn’t warrant much surprise. But Trump’s decision to give extensive access to Stephanopoulos — ABC News’ chief anchor, co-host of ‘Good Morning America’ and host of ‘This Week’ — is a sharp departure from his usual habit of dialing into friendly opinion shows.”
–Michael Calderone and Nancy Cook, “Trump brings Stephanopoulos into his bubble as 2020 launch nears,” Politico, June 12, 2019 6:11 pm