President-elect Donald Trump denied journalists access to follow him on his trip Thursday from his home in New York to the White House where he and wife Melania met with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, according to the Associated Press.
Trump also didn’t allow journalists to follow him on meetings he would be having with other leaders during his trip. The AP noted Trump’s camp hasn’t released a daily schedule or given updates on what he’s been up to since Election Day. They have also been tight lipped about world leaders who have called Trump to congratulate him, except for Russian President Vladimir Putin who sent a telegram. The White House releases statements on phone calls like those, giving some information about the call, noted the AP.
But Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks tried to dissuade fears of a complete press shut out, saying Trump’s camp expects "to operate a traditional pool and look forward to implementing our plans in the near future."
White House Correspondents’ Association president Jeff Mason said, "This decision could leave Americans blind about his whereabouts and well-being in the event of a national crisis...Not allowing a pool of journalists to travel with and cover the next president of the United States is unacceptable."
Trump has had a complicated relationship with the media, which he has accused of “rigging” the election and being biased in favor of Hillary Clinton during his campaign. Last year, Trump kicked out Mexican American journalist Jorge Ramos from a news conference after Ramos asked about his immigration plans, saying Ramos was never called on. Last month, Trump threatened to sue The New York Times and demanded they pull an article in which two women, Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks, alleged Trump touched them inappropriately.
The @nytimes’s Response to @realDonaldTrump's Retraction Letter https://t.co/zyJxjmPcnw pic.twitter.com/SRZcpTuUSC
In other Trump-and-the-press news, the president-elect took to Twitter Thursday night to blame the press for "incit[ing]" the protests that have happened all over the country since his election.
As it turns out, Trump had a very different take on protest following the 2012 election.
Protests continued on Thursday night in tons of cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Birmingham, Denver, Berkeley, Dallas, Madison, Minneapolis, Portland, and more.
