Donald Trump Hit 'Reset Button' in Meeting With TV News Brass, Says Rep
Donald Trump had an “excellent” meeting with top brass from the major network and cable TV news organizations, the President-elect’s senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on Monday afternoon.
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The Trump Tower confab with more than a dozen players in the TV news game — including CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, CBS’ Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell, ABC’s David Muir, NBC’s Chuck Todd and Lester Holt, and Fox News chief Jay Wallace — came amid criticism that Trump has not held a single press conference since being elected the next President of the United States, and has only sat down for one major interview.
Though Monday’s meeting was off the record (meaning attendees cannot report on what was said), CNN’s Reliable Sources hears that “real progress was made” in terms of improving access to Trump, such as via the “press pool” that traditionally tags along with presidents.
Conway told reporters afterward that the “very cordial, candid and honest” meeting was a “great” way to “set the reset button,” 12 days after the “long, hard-fought campaign” came to a close.
Update: Lest anyone think it was actually a “very cordial” affair, the Wall Street Journal (among others) is reporting that Trump — who was occasionally joined by chief strategist Steven Bannon or wife Melania — dressed down the network execs over not just their pre-election coverage and prognostication, but even, for example, NBC’s use of an unflattering photo of him that suggested “multiple chins.”
Conaway said Trump will hold a proper press conference “in due course,” as well as have a partially on-the-record meeting with New York Times representatives on Tuesday.
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