(NewsNation) — Unlike his most recent predecessors, President-elect Donald Trump has not answered questions explaining his key and at times controversial appointments or explaining his priorities now that he has been elected.
Trump transition officials are not providing details about when he will have a general news conference. Trump has had two limited exchanges with reporters — one-on-ones with NBC and the New York Post.
“President Trump was the most press-accessible candidate in the race, by far,” Trump spokesman Steve Cheung told NewsNation. “He will continue to engage with the press regularly and his team will remain committed to providing timely answers on a wide range of inquiries. Stay tuned!”
Political analyst Chris Cillizza calls the decision not to hold forth before the cameras “UnTrumpy.”
In 1992, Bill Clinton held his first formal news conference eight days after being elected. In that event, Clinton announced some of his first appointments, but his Cabinet picks came later in a series of news conferences.
Clinton did answer some questions two days after the election as he was leaving the Arkansas State Capitol. And Clinton held a news conference three days after defeating Robert Dole in 1996, in which he announced a change in his chiefs of staff.
The election of 2000 was different because both Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush answered many media questions in various forums as the election outcome and the various court fights dragged on until Dec. 12. When he was reelected in 2004, Bush held a formal news conference with White House reporters two days later — Nov. 4.
Barack Obama was quicker to face the press after he won in 2008. He talked to reporters three days after the election and announced his chief of staff selection. After his reelection, Obama waited eight days later before holding a news conference to talk about his second term.
Joe Biden held his first news conference as president-elect a week after his 2020 election.
While Trump held news conferences during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns and criticized both of his general election opponents for the lack of media accessibility, he also did not face reporters for six weeks (Dec. 19) after winning in 2016.
Since his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, all of Trump’s personnel announcements have been made through prepared statements released in his name. Cillizza argues that “providing statements is the not the same as taking questions at a press conference.”
Also: the Trump transition team is not holding regular briefings to discuss appointments or what policies the new administration will pursue.
