Face the Nation host John Dickerson has a very simple reason for why Donald Trump gets so much free press: the Republican is always ready to talk when others won’t.
In an interview with the Sunday New York Times Magazine, he was asked if Trump gets so much airtime because he is a ratings driver.
Dickerson rejected that, and said Trump likes to talk, even when it isn’t good for him.
“If the others don’t want to talk, then that’s on them,” said Dickerson.
“In a lot of cases, Trump was the only one who would talk on any given Sunday. Talking to the press is not always good. Donald Trump seems to think it is, but most of his opponents didn’t. He was getting more airtime, but he was also the only one who was as available as he was. Is there something about having him on the phone that gives him an advantage? Is he looking at a fact sheet, and people can’t see? Or is there something in his facial expression that they’re missing? For him, that’s not as much a concern as it would be for another candidate,” he added.
He also addressed questions about Trump calling into shows, instead of appearing live.
“I think it’s more important to have that news out there, whether it comes by phone or by semaphore flags or by any other method. The last time I interviewed him on the phone, he said that he was open to profiling Muslims. That’s news!” said Dickerson.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
