He was once a no-holds-barred political brawler, a man who cared little for hurt feelings and longstanding political pieties. But the Oath of Office has changed Donald Trump. Four days into the job, he’s looking more presidential and also much more sensitive.
During his first press conference, Press Secretary Sean Spicer opened up to the White House press corps about how they’d hurt the administration’s feelings. Reviewing coverage of Inauguration Day, Spicer admitted, was just “a little demoralizing.”
As much as everyone wants to forget 2016, Trump should remember the electorate flocked to a rough and tumble candidate. After inauguration, they’re going to demand a winner, not a whiner.
Of course, the media can be mean. Plenty of members of the press did their industry a disservice when they took potshots at the first family. And even more humiliated themselves with unsubstantiated reports about inauguration attendance and busts of Martin Luther King Jr. Altogether, it’s a far cry from the respect, and even adulation, that Obama enjoyed.
But could Spicer really have thought the same courtesy would be afforded to a Republican? “Over and over again there’s a constant effort to undermine his credibility and the movement he represents,” he complained, “It’s frustrating not just for him but for so many of us that are trying to work to get his message out.”
Maybe his boss might have won some sympathy if Trump hadn’t made slandering the press a habit. And honestly, when was he anything except antagonist?
Public squabbles were part of Trump’s strategy. When muckrakers and the new president clash, no one loses because there’s no such thing as bad press for Trump. The press attacks, Trump rebuffs, and together both his popularity and their ratings increase. The routine worked so well it made Trump a winner.
It wasn’t that long ago that Trump declared unrestricted war with the fifth estate. Pointing to the press area, the candidate would remind his supporters that journalists were “sleazy,” fundamentally “dishonest,” and inherently “not good people.”
Back in June one reporter even asked Trump if he’d keep his combative tone if he won the White House. “Yeah, it’s going to be like this,” the swaggering candidate responded. “You think I’m gonna change? I’m not gonna change!”
And to his word, Trump hasn’t changed all that much. He doesn’t back down from a fight, even against a Civil Rights icon on the eve of Martin Luther King Day.
Trump wants to remain a heavy hitter. He just doesn’t want to get hit back. But that just won’t work. Now that he’s leading the free world, Trump should expect more criticism not less. Because reporters aren’t going to back down for fear of hurting the feelings of the most powerful man in the world.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
