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I mean, the biggest change in the outlets that cover the president from when he was in office the last time is how the White House has filled the press pool that goes into the oval with a lot of people who ask friendly questions that aren't really probing or tough. And I think you can ask whatever question you want on whatever subject you want. There's a lot to ask about cost of living, Iran war, whatever the subject is that day. Um, what I don't like is when people use th those moments to ask a question that is something that's not producing a response that is really asking something, probing of someone who is the highest office in the land, a taxpayer funded individual. Um, which is
how I personally believe that time is best spent. And so I think uh one frustration is there's not as much followup inside those Oval Office moments as there used to be among reporters who do ask tough questions and do ask fair but challenging question. What's so strange about him is he very clearly needs you in a way that I don't think I've ever seen a president have that before. There's something inside him that he lashes out at the press corps, but needs them to see him more than anybody I've ever seen in public life. That's why he gives his phone number out to everybody. He even said it at the White House correspondents dinner. He said, you know, nobody else does that, but I do that because I like it. And he criticized his staff actually
during the dinner. Yes. because he said he would ask them, you know, have any reporters called for comment and they would say no or it's not worth your time, right? And he was frustrated by that. I mean, his press team was in the room and he was criticizing them for saying that they're basically blocking him, which is why he started picking up the numbers himself and he said something very interesting because he said it's basically because if I talk to them, I might be able to manipulate them to get a better story. I mean, and he says this stuff out loud. So, is there a thought in that room that you guys work together? I don't know how that would work or if that's even logical.
Yeah, I think reporters should ask what they want to ask. I don't think any reporter should be saying this is what we're asking today or you need to follow up on this. But if a colleague of mine asks a good question and doesn't get an answer, I mean, this actually happened with the Treasury Secretary when they were considering putting Trump's face on a $250 bill for the United States's birthday. Obviously, that's illegal. And so, there are so many questions for Scott Bessant at this briefing on it. and he wouldn't he kept declining to answer and pushing it off on Congress, but obviously Congress was doing this because the White House wanted them to do it. And I think I was the fourth
reporter maybe to ask. And I think sometimes reporters think, well, I'll just move on because he's not answering it. But actually, I think the more you ask, the more revealing it is. And finally, in at the end of his answer to me, he said that he didn't see a problem with putting the president's face on a $250 bill. And so there is value.
