White House official says Trump administration not given a chance by media
Feb 23, 2017, 9:46 AM | Updated: 12:41 pm
In this Feb. 22, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting on the Federal budget in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. For the past eight years, thousands of conservative activists have descended on Washington each spring with dreams of putting a Republican in the White House. This year, they're learning reality can be complicated. With Trump's presidential victory, the future of the conservative movement has become entwined with an unconventional New York businessman better known for his deal-making than any ideological principles. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
PHOENIX — A White House official said Thursday that the media has not given President Donald Trump’s administration the same chance to adjust to things as has been granted to other leaders.
“Every other administration gets a 100-day honeymoon period. This administration has not,” White House Director of Media Affairs Helen Aguirre Ferre told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.
“On the contrary, it has been treated very harshly.”
Ferre said most of the coverage surrounding the president has taken a critical tone similar to that seen during the run-up to the election.
“When you look at the coverage – all of the coverage that comes out – by and large, it is negative. It’s not unlike what happened in the campaign as well,” she said.
Ferre said the mainstream media has talked very little about the positive steps Trump has taken in the White House, though she gave no specific examples.
She also said there is a night and day difference in the way media treated former President Barack Obama and the way it handles Trump.
“When you have that tremendous contrast in the way media – in a very general sense what we would call the mainstream media – it is a pretty marked difference,” she said. “Many times they’re not respectful of this president and it’s a real shame.”
While Trump has made a habit of attacking the media since his campaign, Ferre said he recognizes that a lot of them do a “terrific” job but is dissatisfied with some sectors.
“The president is cognizant that there are many members of the media who are doing a good job and are professional,” she said. “They may not be the ones that he has the closest contact with, necessarily.”
