Donald Trump Jr. has suggested that his father, the president-elect, may replace traditional media with podcasters and independent journalists in the White House press briefing room.
He made the comments after Daily Wire political commentator Michael Knowles asked him about the possibility of restructuring the press briefing room when Trump assumes office in January.
Typically with every new administration, reporters are given assigned seats in the press briefing room and are called upon by the press secretary to ask questions during daily briefings.
“I wonder now, as your father is assembling his team, as maybe [incoming press secretary] Karoline Leavitt is looking at the new press briefing room chart, maybe it’s time to reorder that chart and maybe take away some people’s seats,” Knowles asked during the “Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.” podcast on Monday.
According to Trump Jr., his father likes the idea of supplementing traditional media with reporters who have more influence and viewership.
“We had the conversation about opening up the press room to a lot of these independent journalists,” he said during his podcast Triggered. “If the New York Times has lied, they’ve been averse to everything, they’re functioning as the marketing arm to the Democrat party, why not open it up to people who have larger viewerships, stronger followings?”
The president-elect has often been critical of the media, calling some left-leaning media outlets “dishonest” and often referring to them as “fake news.”
Trump recently took aim at the New York Times on his social media platform Truth Social, alleging that the newspaper lacks fact-checking in its reporting on him.
“I don’t believe I’ve had a legitimately good story in the NYT for years, and yet I won, in record fashion, the most consequential presidential election in decades.”
Trump Jr. said just because media outlets have existed longer, doesn’t mean that they have a stronger reach.
He said that he would love to see podcaster Joe Rogan in the White House press briefing room.
As a presidential candidate, Trump on the campaign trail participated in interviews on the podcast circuit which typically reaches a wider, younger audience.
These kinds of changes, if implemented, in the press briefing room would be a major shift in the way the press room is structured, a significant change from the previous administration.
“That may be in the works. That’s going to blow up some heads,” the president-elect’s son said.
