The Trump administration’s decision to break with the longstanding tradition of hosting holiday parties for members of the White House press corps has delighted and disappointed many.
Those who support the decision point out that the president has no obligation to welcome and feed reporters, and that given the testy relationship between so many in the White House press corps and the president, it would be hypocritical for him to glad-hand a bunch of people who don’t like him and whom he does not like or respect. They give him credit for being honest about his feelings and not faking it. There are also those who feel it is inappropriate for a journalist to socialize with a person about whom he or she reports.
Fair arguments — to a point.
Those who are disappointed argue that in our country, the White House press corps is as much a part of the institution of the presidency as the Oval Office, Air Force One and Camp David. Reporters come with the territory, and to snub them in this way shows not only a dislike for what they do but a fundamental lack of respect for the free press, one of the pillars of our democracy.
Like it or not, the president and the press live and travel together. Though they have vastly different roles, of course, they are all “in the bubble” sharing a unique adventure. There is nothing wrong — indeed it is probably healthy — for both sides to put down their weapons for a few minutes during the holidays and enjoy each other’s company.
And it sends an important message to other countries that here, reporters are respected.
Nancy and Ronald Reagan happily welcomed members of the press to holiday parties during all eight years they were in the White House. I was at all of them, and I remember how they patiently stood in front of the Christmas tree in the Blue Room to greet and be photographed with every guest. They believed the White House belonged to everyone. They did not view reporters as enemies. In fact, they genuinely liked many in the White House press corps, some of whom had covered them since the governor days in California.
The Reagans and their staff knew that no reporter worth his or her salt would change how they covered the administration just because they ate a cookie or sipped some eggnog at a holiday party, and neither they nor we had expectations of that. That was not what the holiday parties were about. In the spirit of the season, the Reagans considered it an honor to share a special time with people whose paths crossed theirs, and pause for a moment to enjoy the privilege of living in, working at, or reporting on the White House. In some respects, it was their way of saying that at the end of the day, we’re all just people. And reporters, some of whom were tough as hell on Reagan, came to the parties because they understood the value of getting to know the president a little better, and because they respected the office of the presidency.
The same has been true for every succeeding administration until now. This is not the first “presidential norm” that Trump has changed. Traditionalists lament the decline of such time-honored practices as the president attending the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner or hosting holiday parties for the White House press corps not because they crave face time with the president, but because these events contribute to an atmosphere of civility in Washington. Clearly, things have changed.
In and of itself, that reporters and their spouses will not eat shrimp and baby lamb chops in the East Room of the White House or pose for a souvenir photo with the first couple is of no consequence. There is little love lost between most of the Fourth Estate and this president, so in some respects, both the first couple and the press corps have been spared an awkward moment.
What’s troubling about the Trumps not hosting holiday parties for the press is not the absence of a party per se, but the contempt for the press it represents. A president does not have to like the press, but in this country, he must recognize their constitutionally protected status and respect the essential role reporters play in our democracy. Lately, at least, there are reasons to wonder if he does.
Mark Weinberg is a communications consultant, speechwriter, and the author of “Movie Nights with the Reagans” (Simon & Schuster). He served as special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary in Ronald Reagan’s White House, and as director of public affairs in President Reagan’s office.
