White House: Trump spent more than 21,000 minutes this term talking to the press
by Susan Ferrechio · The Washington TimesEveryone knows President Trump loves talking to reporters, despite labeling them “fake news.”
The president’s press team has quantified the staggering numbers amid a dayslong media war over journalists’ access to the White House.
Statistics provided to The Washington Times from the White House Press Office show Mr. Trump has spent 21,058 minutes, or roughly 352 hours, at events open to the press since the start of his second term in January 2025.
Reporters have been present for more than 9,000 minutes of remarks, more than 8,000 minutes of pool “sprays” with journalists and more than 2,800 minutes of “gaggles,” answering questions from reporters, the press office calculated.
More than half that time, Mr. Trump was with reporters, about 203 hours, as he was answering their questions.
He took questions from the media at 474 of 759 events where the press were in attendance.
Mr. Trump’s press team tallied up the numbers as the Trump administration defended a ban of three media outlets. Mr. Trump said he ejected CNN, MS Now and Politico because the organizations produced “fake news” and produced stories that were overwhelmingly negative or threatened national security.
A judge Thursday issued a 14-day restraining order that forced the White House to temporarily reinstate the outlets. They have since been allowed back onto White House grounds.
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While granting unprecedented press access, the president regularly battles the media and has long criticized left-leaning news outlets about their coverage.
On Tuesday, he called CNN and MS Now, two of the banned outlets, “sick, treasonous and demented” for “ranting and raving like lunatics” in the press area at the United Nations, where Mr. Trump delivered an address.
Mr. Trump’s angry social media post came after CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins asked Mr. Trump about an end date for the Iran war, which is dragging down his poll numbers.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump slammed the media for reporting that he planned to affix his name to the famed Ford’s Theatre in the District of Columbia, the site of President Lincoln’s assassination.
“The Ford’s Theatre Lie is just another example of how the Fake News Media and the Dumocrats conspire together to make up false stories about ‘President Donald J. Trump.’” he said on Truth Social. “Shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Our Country is desperately seeking a Free and Fair Press!”
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Mr. Trump’s complaints are backed by the conservative-leaning Media Research Center.
The MRC published an analysis last year that found 92% of major network media coverage of Mr. Trump’s first 100 days of his second term in office was negative. In comparison, coverage of President Biden’s presidency was 59% positive, the study found.
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Susan Ferrechio
sferrechio@washingtontimes.com
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