“They Are The Opposition Party. I Want ‘Em Out Of The Building,” One Senior Official Said
President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is “seriously considering” removing the media from the White House press room it has occupied for decades.Â
According to a report in Esquire, incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer claims the possible eviction is a matter of logistics, because the room has only 49 seats.Â
The press corps would be relocated to the White House Conference Center, near Lafayette Square, or the Old Executive Office Building, next door to the White House.Â
“There’s been so much interest in covering a President Donald Trump,” Spicer told Esquire. “When we had that press conference the other day, we had thousands of requests, and we capped it at four hundred. Is there an opportunity to potentially allow more members of the media to be part of this? That’s something we’re discussing.”
However, another senior Trump official indicated the administration’s motives may be more sinister.Â
“They are the opposition party,” the official said of the media. “I want ’em out of the building. We are taking back the press room.”
Trump, of course, made attacks on the “dishonest” media one of the hallmarks of his campaign. During the press conference this week, his first in six months, he blasted reporters as “disgraceful” and purveyors of “fake news.”Â
h/t: The Hill
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