Presidents have always had to put up with taunting
May 10, 2018, 6:52 AM
If Sarah Huckabee Sanders was booted from the Red Hen in Seattle, the restaurant would be in violation of our anti-discrimination laws, Jason Rantz argues. A local writer thinks we should get rid of this law. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Sarah Sanders began Wednesday’s White House briefing with a pleasant “good afternoon.”
But hardly anybody responded. Perhaps because the president had just tweeted about yanking press credentials after he saw research that as much as 90 percent of his network coverage has been negative.
Sanders assured reporters she’s committed to a free press. But she also said the anti-Trump bias is getting pretty thick.
“Just yesterday The New York Times accused the secretary of state for being AWOL when he was flying across the globe to bring Americans home. Just earlier this week The Washington Post accused the first lady of not living in the White House,” Sanders said.
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The headlines above those stories did imply those things, although the stories themselves were considerably more nuanced.
But presidents have always had to put up with taunts. George Washington was called “muttonhead” by his own vice president. Grover Cleveland was called “Uncle Jumbo.” Rutherford B. Hayes was called “Old Granny” when he wasn’t being called Ruther-FRAUD B. Hayes.
So I hope the reporters get to keep their press passes. But if not, CBS’s Major Garrett told me he’s ready.
“If the president were, for example, to take away my credentials that would only take me off the White House grounds. It wouldn’t stop me from reporting anything, I would just be outside the gate.”
Maybe all the reporters should just yell their questions directly at the Oval Office. He might answer.
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