White House reporters went from covering an ‘invisible president’ Biden to ‘omnipresent’ Trump: Politico

Politico’s White House reporters wrote on Saturday about the stark contrast between the “invisible” and “shielded” former President Biden and the “omnipresent” President Donald Trump.

Since Trump’s inauguration last week, White House correspondent Eli Stokols and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns reported how Trump has given multiple speeches, made several policy announcements and has spoken to reporters at length.

Trump’s huge media presence is a change compared to the more muted Biden years.

“Yes, Trump was eager to sign all those executive orders reversing Biden’s policies,” they wrote. “But the bigger flex for Trump, 78, was to contrast his accessibility, aptitude and activity with his predecessor, who was so often shielded from public view by aides wary of showcasing the 82-year-old’s growing limitations.”

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“As fast as the movers changed out the White House furniture, the country went from an invisible president, unable to command the spotlight, to an omnipresent one who wants the public’s attention at all times,” they continued. 

One reporter referred to Trump’s pressers as a “free-for-all” for journalists after “four years of begging for access to the more cloistered Biden.” 

“Although Biden did take questions from reporters here and there, his more informal exchanges with the press were sporadic and rarely lasted more than a few minutes. More often than not, he was out of view,” Politico reported.

One downside the article considered, however, was whether constant access to Trump and his thoughts would almost be “too much for the media and public to absorb.”

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“Within the press corps, there is some ambivalence about Trump’s firehose on blast,” they wrote. “The excitement about being able to ask the president about why he pardoned people convicted of vandalism, trespassing and violently attacking police officers, not to mention questions about everything from tariffs to TikTok, is tempered by the awareness that it is all, once again, too much. Too much to process and capture in real-time. Too much for the country to digest.”

On Sunday, Trump held a 20-minute gaggle with reporters on Air Force One where he discussed a variety of topics like TikTok, and Greenland. He also took a dig at his predecessor by telling reporters they have “a little bit more access” than they did with Biden by like “5,000%.”