Good Will Begets Good Will.
Or, You Get the Treatment You Deserve.
Rejecting the Premise
Over the decades, and especially since the start of the television era, American presidents have carefully cultivated their own public image and by extension the image of the American presidency itself.
It is not by accident that when fictional presidents are depicted in films they are all of a certain age, dress in an appropriate fashion, behave in a way that is a model of professionalism and diplomacy.
As a result - until now - presidents of the United States have been accorded a high level of respect and deference. The credibility of the office, the soft power of the office, is not the result of the work of one man, but the work of the many men who have held the office and set its standards. If a president violates those high standards he or she should not benefit from the deference earned by his or her predecessors.
That is where we are with President Trump. He has long since forfeited any right to the deference he was granted upon taking office. The last week confirms this observation.
No, You Are a Disgrace!
As a general premise, the news media considers anything the president of the United States says to be news. Strictly speaking this is true. If the person holding the office says something publicly the remark is an official statement. But in the case of the current president the premise doesn’t hold, because so much of what he says is either false or nonsense. The lies should be pointed out. The nonsense should be ignored.
Sunday, the day after an attempted shooting interrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, President Trump sat down for what I am sure he thought would be a friendly interview with Norah O’Donnell of CBS News. He would have expected the interview to be friendly, because in his mind he has bought and paid for good coverage from the network.
To his surprise O’Donnell asked a question that made him uncomfortable and he reacted not in a presidential manner, but in the manner of a bully. He said she was a “horrible” person and a “disgrace.”
O’Donnell barely pushed back and tried to get through the moment so that the interview could continue. After all, she was talking to the president and by definition anything he says is news.
I think we have reached the point in the Trump presidency at which the news media should not accept this kind of language or behavior from the president or anyone else in the administration. Just as in real life; if a family member, neighbor, co-worker, or a stranger you met during the course of your day treated you as the president routinely treats members of the news media, you would not let it pass with courtesy, or you would walk away.
I would have liked to see O’Donnell respond to the president in one of three ways:
No, I am not a horrible person, I am doing my job and I would like you to answer the question just as any president worthy of the office would do.
Thank you Mr. President, this interview is over.
No sir, you are a disgrace.
This is not advice meant for O’Donnell alone, this is advice for the press corps as a whole and for anyone else this president or members of his administration try to gaslight or bully.
We do not have to take this childish behavior from the president or anyone who works for him. We do not have to accept the lies as normal. We do not have to submit to the bullying. The more we push back, the more we refuse to engage, the less effective the communication strategy becomes.
We have a say in the tone of the conversation. Controlling the tone is worth the risk of losing access. The only access at risk is access to mostly meaningless misinformation. That’s not a loss of anything of value.
The Petulant Child
I would give the same advice to members of Congress.
For two days this week the petulant child serving as our Secretary of Defense, Peter Brian Hegseth, tried to lie and bully his way through hearings before the House and Senate on Capitol Hill.
His behavior was disrespectful and most of the information he shared was exaggerated and untruthful. Like the news media, members of Congress try to interact with members of the administration as if they are playing by the normal rules of an adult exchange of ideas. What they get in return is an asymmetrical litany of misinformation and deception.
Hegseth told members of Congress that the biggest enemy we face as a country are “Democrats and some Republicans” who have the temerity to raise questions about our war with Iran.
I would like members of Congress to respond in one of two ways:
Mr. Hegseth, you an unreliable and uncooperative witness. You are dismissed. Hegseth’s dismissal should be followed by a subpoena to lower ranking Pentagon officials who should be required to provide answers.
Mr. Chairman, I move that we adjourn this meeting so that we can meet privately with Secretary Hegseth and explain to him how the Constitution of the United States envisions the role of congressional oversight and the duty of the executive branch to answer our questions. Until he understands, we are wasting our time.
The mistake we have made repeatedly is to treat members of the Trump administration as if they are qualified, as if they are professional, as if they are concerned about their own reputations and the long-term reputation of the U.S. government. They are not. They can be taught a lesson if we refuse to engage.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Returning to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner; each year there is a conversation about the ethics of reporters and members of the government coming together for a social occasion meant to raise money for scholarships and celebrate the free press.
Some reporters and news organizations choose not to take part, because they think the optics are bad.
I for one don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with reporters and those they cover getting together for a good cause or even for purely social reasons. The truth is; it happens on a smaller scale all the time. One on one it is considered a way to cultivate sources.
I do think there is a problem with reporters coming together in a social setting(even for charity) with the current president and his administration. The posture of President Trump toward the free press is hostile. The president’s behavior toward the press is outside the spectrum of normal behavior and it should not be rewarded.
For the duration of his time in office, the White House Correspondents’ Association should not invite President Trump to its annual dinner. Deference and respect are to be earned, not granted without adherence to standards.
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Inflection Point
May 3, 2026