NEW YORK (AP) — With his reelection campaign officially launched, President Donald Trump is interacting with media organizations that reach beyond his base.
He has booked an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday and has done an interview with Telemundo — two of the three networks that will simulcast next week’s first debate among Democratic presidential contenders. (The other is MSNBC.)
The contentious Telemundo interview that aired Thursday, in which anchor Jose Diaz-Balart repeatedly challenged Trump’s dubious assertions on immigration matters, was evidence of the risks of branching out beyond more friendly outlets.
His interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos made news all last weekend. In that interview, said he’d listen to foreign dirt on his 2020 opponent, adding, “If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI.”
Trump also sat for a Time magazine cover story published this week.
For much of his presidency, Trump has focused the bulk of his interview time on friendly outlets, most notably Fox News Channel. Indeed, he followed up his campaign rally Tuesday with a live phone interview Wednesday on Fox’s “Hannity.”
During the rally itself, Trump berated the “fake news” media covering the event and smiled as the crowd chanted “CNN sucks.”
Outgoing White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has given up regular press briefings, and many of her meetings with reporters come after she’s done a satellite interview with Fox.
