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President Donald Trump made the press conference at the White House an exhilarating spectacle.
Whether it is the daily press briefing or an official press conference with the president, the news networks have publicly set themselves to the image of the White House Trump. to fight with journalists who challenge them in front of television cameras. The large cable news channels often broadcast these live news conferences, treating them as fights for the title in the middle of the day and constantly analyzing them once they are finished.
These public clashes have attracted media attention in recent years – because the conflicts themselves are interesting, but because they have tremendous symbolic value. The White House press conference is supposed to represent a fundamental democratic ideal: the government should be prepared to answer in good faith to the public. Watch Trump attack and demonize journalists defies this ideal. This represents a failure in a fundamental democratic norm, and that itself is worthwhile.
But it is worth asking how useful it is to broadcast these clashes on national television. Trump has made the demonization of the press a central element of his political strategy. His political identity revolves around the idea that he is attacked by a biased and undisciplined press. And these press conferences provide him with the visual aids he needs to reinforce this identity with his supporters – an opportunity to present himself publicly as a victim standing up to an unruly crowd.
For Trump, the staging of big and dramatic clashes is essential. And this should give pause to news networks that easily broadcast these press conferences in the name of accountability.
You can find this video and all the videos of Vox on YouTube . Subscribe to more episodes of Strikethrough our series devoted to Trump's media exploration at the age. And if you want to support our video journalism, you can become a member of the Vox Video Lab on YouTube .
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