# Why has Trump given only one solo press conference?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 16, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182 "2018-06-16T00:04:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/1 "2018-06-16T00:04:28Z")
This [cite](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/newsconferences.php) shows that Obama had given ~16 (cite is by year) by this time in his Presidency. Trump has given one.
My guess is that although Trump claims the media is reporting “fake news”. He knows that if he had to explain his inconsistencies he would be exposed. So he sends out Sarah Sanders (SS) to do press conferences. SS has no problem with stretching the truth or saying, “I don’t know what the president thinks on that matter.”
The press is asking the questions about the discrepancies. They just aren’t getting answered.
Trump claims that he is communicating directly with the US citizenry through tweets. But the tweets are classic [gaslighting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting). It’s pretty brilliant really. As a bonus, it would explain alienating our allies. Conspiracy theory? What’s your theory?
I put this in IMHO because I’m not interested in debating but I’m interested in your thoughts.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/2 "2018-06-16T00:27:43Z")
> [@fervour](#):
>
> What’s your theory?
>
> I put this in IMHO because I’m not interested in debating but I’m interested in your thoughts.
My theory is: he thinks he’s, uh, winning. Now, we could debate whether he actually _is_ winning, but that’s irrelevant; and we could debate whether he thinks it, but (a) you’re not interested in debating; and (b) c’mon: of _course_ he thinks that.
So if he figures that what he’s doing has been working, then why bother changing?
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/3 "2018-06-16T00:34:47Z")
He’s a gutless coward, plain and simple.
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### Author:  [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/4 "2018-06-16T00:56:30Z")
> [@fervour](#):
>
> This [cite](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/newsconferences.php) shows that Obama had given ~16 (cite is by year) by this time in his Presidency. Trump has given one.
>
> My guess is that although Trump claims the media is reporting “fake news”. He knows that if he had to explain his inconsistencies he would be exposed. So he sends out Sarah Sanders (SS) to do press conferences. SS has no problem with stretching the truth or saying, “I don’t know what the president thinks on that matter.”
>
> The press is asking the questions about the discrepancies. They just aren’t getting answered.
>
> Trump claims that he is communicating directly with the US citizenry through tweets. But the tweets are classic [gaslighting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting). It’s pretty brilliant really. As a bonus, it would explain alienating our allies. Conspiracy theory? What’s your theory?
>
> I put this in IMHO because I’m not interested in debating but I’m interested in your thoughts.
Trump gave a semi-press conference today where he claimed that Democrats are responsible for the law that separates families at the border. Someone actually pushed back and said - there is no law. He just repeated his lie. He has no shame about being exposed.
I think he’s just lazy and hates have to do anything he can delegate to someone else. Plus, then he gets to watch someone defend him on television, and he always gets off on watching that.
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### Author:  [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/5 "2018-06-16T01:07:27Z")
> [@Merneith](#):
>
> Trump gave a semi-press conference today where he claimed that Democrats are responsible for the law that separates families at the border. Someone actually pushed back and said - there is no law. He just repeated his lie. He has no shame about being exposed.
>
> I think he’s just lazy and hates have to do anything he can delegate to someone else. Plus, then he gets to watch someone defend him on television, and he always gets off on watching that.
He gave a solo press conference today? Well good. I haven’t seen it. I live in south Alabama and almost everyone here has cult-like fealty. I still don’t see your example the same as, say, confronting him on the “now there is no nuclear threat” thing. But it’s good to here what people from outside of Wonderland think.
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### Author:  [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/6 "2018-06-16T01:10:54Z")
“Hear” not “here”—thought I made the edit window.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/7 "2018-06-16T01:10:56Z")
If you see today’s conference you will understand why. It would be in the weeds in a heartbeat and there is no spin in the world that could save it.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/8 "2018-06-16T01:11:21Z")
> [@fervour](#):
>
> Trump claims that he is communicating directly with the US citizenry through tweets. But the tweets are classic [gaslighting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting). It’s pretty brilliant really. As a bonus, it would explain alienating our allies. Conspiracy theory? What’s your theory?
I’ve read that article before, but the follow up article of “Does the Gaslighter Know What They Are Doing” is also pretty interesting. I have a marketer friend who always rambles on about how “brilliant” Donald Trump, Kanye West and others are who make a big name for themselves by being provocative. But I wonder how much is part of some intentional master plan and how much is just happens due to unintentional positive reinforcement. i.e. Trump can only get away with his behavior because he was born wealthy and maybe has a knack for real estate development. Kanye West is a talented musician. OTOH, Rosanne Barr destroyed her career with one Tweet.
So is Trump playing 4D Chess with us while we are all learning checkers or does he just not do press conferences because he think’s they are stupid and not worth his time?
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/9 "2018-06-16T05:03:25Z")
My understanding is that he actually really likes them, but is also very bad at them in that he wears down quickly and starts blurting things out that are not good for his position (see also, the three debates in 2016, not that they ended up hurting him in the medium term), so his staff labors to keep him from even getting the idea that he should hold a press conference.
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### Author:  [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/10 "2018-06-16T05:12:19Z")
> [@fervour](#):
>
> He gave a solo press conference today? Well good. I haven’t seen it. I live in south Alabama and almost everyone here has cult-like fealty. I still don’t see your example the same as, say, confronting him on the “now there is no nuclear threat” thing. But it’s good to here what people from outside of Wonderland think.
Well, sorta. It wasn’t official. He just wandered out to the North Lawn and talked to a Fox News host. Then other reporters gathered and shouted questions at him.
[http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392481-trump-unloads-from-white-house-lawn](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392481-trump-unloads-from-white-house-lawn)
It was mostly an exercise in repeating his tweet messages and trying to bury the news about Manafort & Cohen.
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### Author:  [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/11 "2018-06-16T07:57:08Z")
I should add that I don’t know if anyone confronted him about Korean nukes, but a reporter directly confronted him about his claim that some law passed by the Democrats is forcing the seizure of children at the border. She said directly - there is no law - and he just repeated his lie. He doesn’t answer questions; he just pounds his talking points.
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/12 "2018-06-16T08:48:49Z")
He knows how it would turn out, and that is not how he wants his image to be.
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### Author:  [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/13 "2018-06-16T09:05:05Z")
> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> He’s a gutless coward, plain and simple.
I was going to go with “he just doesn’t give a shit about anyone or anything,” but I’ll happily endorse your position if there’s a runoff vote.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/14 "2018-06-16T09:10:38Z")
He prefers twitter. You get to say whatever you want about whatever subject you care to tweet about, and you don’t have to answer \*stupid, pesky questionses. \*
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### Author:  [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/15 "2018-06-16T09:40:43Z")
> [@Merneith](#):
>
> I should add that I don’t know if anyone confronted him about Korean nukes, but a reporter directly confronted him about his claim that some law passed by the Democrats is forcing the seizure of children at the border. She said directly - there is no law - and he just repeated his lie. He doesn’t answer questions; he just pounds his talking points.
See, I am willing to DIE for those children. I can see no better cause celebre. I don’t care if they end up junkies or heros/heroines.
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/16 "2018-06-16T13:11:23Z")
My connection is bad and I can’t watch Trump’s recent babble to a Fox’n’Friends sycophant. Does that count as a “solo press conference”?
One quote from [TheHill.com](http://TheHill.com) may suggest why his babysitters don’t let him talk to the press even with fresh diapers:
> [@](#):
>
> President Trump said on Friday that he wants “his people” to listen to him like North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s people listen to him.
>
> “He’s the head of a country. And I mean, he is the strong head,” Trump said of Kim in a tongue-in-cheek manner as he spoke to Steve Doocy of “Fox & Friends” outside the White House.
>
> "Don’t let anyone think anything different. **[Kim] speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same," Trump said.**
Kim is an Al Capone-style czar infamous for using violence to keep his minions in line and sycophantic. Trump wishes he got that kind of respect! :eek: Or was all this “tongue-in-cheek”? How lucky we are to have a C-in-C who’s such a comic!
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/17 "2018-06-16T13:19:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> He prefers twitter. You get to say whatever you want about whatever subject you care to tweet about, and you don’t have to answer \*stupid, pesky questionses. \*
And even then he can’t string together a coherent original thought. Always counting on catch phrases that keep his followers stirred up. That’s pretty much all he does.
And that’s when he has time to organize his thoughts before the bullshit comes pouring out.
Now, it can be difficult to think on your feet. Many, many people have a very hard time addressing a crowd. Trump, however, loves the spotlight. He isn’t nervous at all. He just simply doesn’t have any answers to the questions. I don’t think he even understands the questions. He thinks he’s the King and is everyone’s boss. How dare they ask him hard questions. He has people for that.
He’s a blustering fool. His press core doesn’t know what he might do next any more than he does.
Not sure who’s job it is to keep him away from a microphone, but they are pretty clearly the most competent people in the administration. Can’t get that dam phone away from him though.
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### Author:  [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/18 "2018-06-16T16:14:07Z")
South Alabama gets a bad reputation genuinely.
There is a cult, here. It is a cult of Jesus, Trump, and TV preachers-----that’s televangelist preachers------should we be so lucky as to have TransVestite preachers.
I went over to my mom’s house which is next to mine. I told her that the count of children taken from their parents is close to 2000. She understands that what I am talking about is US immigration policy, the zero tolerance policy, the policy ripping children from their parents.
She said, “What about all the aborted children! There have been millions of them!”
I asked her, “How many funerals of aborted fetuses, and zygotes have you been to?”
She said, “What’s a zygote?”
I explained. It turns out my mother who had eight children didn’t know what a zygote is. She supposedly has three years of post high school training from Southeastern Bible College. If she were harmless, I’d say, “Leave her alone!” But she supports Kenneth Copeland, ACLJ, and other horrible people.
* * *
Sorry for that outburst. I am still interested in why Trump hasn’t done much one-on-one with the press.
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/19 "2018-06-16T17:12:54Z")
> [@fervour](#):
>
> Why has Trump given only one solo press conference?.
Because the press is openly hostile to him on a political level and therefore a waste of his time.
A better question is why did Obama waste so much time on press conferences or NBA playoff predictions? It’s the other side of the same coin. He did it because the press was politically friendly to him and he needed the publicity.
It’s called politics.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-has-trump-given-only-one-solo-press-conference/816182/20 "2018-06-16T17:16:53Z")
> [@Merneith](#):
>
> Well, sorta. It wasn’t official. He just wandered out to the North Lawn and talked to a Fox News host. Then other reporters gathered and shouted questions at him.
>
> [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392481-trump-unloads-from-white-house-lawn](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392481-trump-unloads-from-white-house-lawn)
>
> It was mostly an exercise in repeating his tweet messages and trying to bury the news about Manafort & Cohen.
In my paper’s (Chicago Trib) article on this, I was stricken by how much of the article contained such phrases as:
“Trump then falsely claimed…”
“Trump made a variety of other assertions, a number of the false…”
“Reporters repeatedly challenged his statements, twice asking the president why he was ‘lying’…”
“Trump falsely claimed…”
And that is from just about the first quarter of the article!
Nice to see the press plainly calling him on his bullshit. Not sure that will have any effect, tho. :rolleyes:
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