President Trump’s press playbook

Gretchen A. Peck

President Trump sat down with NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Friday for a “Meet the Press” interview. Even if you missed the Sunday-morning airing, you’ve probably now seen the bite-sized clips of Welker pressing the president for evidence on his enduring assertion that U.S. elections are “rigged.” Angered by the question, the president disparaged Welker and the network before abruptly ending the interview. 

This is a defensive strategy, perfected by the president: 

• Reporter asks earnest, fair question. 
• The president pushes back with superlatives (I am the best. We are the best. What we’ve done is the greatest ever known, like no one has ever seen before.). He quickly grows impatient, angrier. 
• He lashes out at the reporter. 
• He undermines the news outlet — it’s fake news, it’s failing, it’s corrupt.
• And, successfully, he never answers the question.

It has proven tremendously effective as a defensive tactic, and President Trump has practically franchised it. We’ve seen this kind of deflection used by cabinet members testifying before Congress. Called upon to answer oversight questions by a co-equal branch of government, these high-ranking administrative officials come armed with binders of hot takes and personal insults designed to embarrass elected officials. 

A requisite for rising stars in politics today is not expert command of subject matter, but being quick with a personal jab or low-brow quip. We even see it seeping into our everyday vernacular and online discourse.

Anyone studying the president’s rhetoric noticed this tic long ago, this verbal escape hatch deployed when he’s annoyed by a probing question. Yet, as predictable as it is, the press hasn’t yet figured out how to block the play. 

WATCH the “Meet the Press” interview in its entirety here: 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-fed-chair-kevin-warsh-criticizes-interest-rate-hike-rcna348848