I am accustomed to long Air Force One flights and taking an Ambien, expecting the president not to return to the press cabin, but Donald Trump's unpredictability changed that. After a rally he invited reporters to his cabin to watch a DVR of the Democratic debate while providing WWE-like color commentary about candidates. That access felt unprecedented after two decades of political reporting. Campaign coverage felt more rewarding than the controlled, scripted White House environment because campaigns allow up-close observation of politicians, their interactions with voters, and how they treat staff when unobserved. The West Wing could be chaotic and surprising.
As a member of the White House press corps, I'm used to long flights on Air Force One. I can usually take an Ambien and go to sleep, knowing that the president is certainly not coming back to the press cabin. But with Donald Trump, you never know. During his first term, after a rally out west, he came back to talk to us. Had we watched the big Democratic presidential primary debate from a few hours earlier?
It's up in my cabin. Do you guys want to come watch? Trump led us to his cabin, which other presidents definitely don't do, where he turned on a recording. We watched as he provided WWE-like color commentary. Elizabeth Warren, she's sharp. Wow, she just got Bloomberg. Oh man, he's angry! He's going to come back at her. That level of access is unprecedentedand I've been covering politics for over 20 years, including nearly a decade reporting on the White House.
It sounds exciting and prestigious. In some ways, it is. But it wasn't something I personally aspired to. Once a candidate gets to the White House, they feel controlled and scripted. Freewheeling campaigns are more fun. I can get up close to politicians, meet them. See how they interact with voters. How they treat their staff. How they treat their staff when they think no one is looking.
Collection
[
|
...
]