Photo: Alamy | Op-ed by Summer Lane
President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House has spanned just a handful of months so far, but already it has become clear that his administration is likely the most transparent in modern history.
In the first month of his presidency, Trump took more than 1,000 questions from the press. Now, in August, it’s impossible to quantify how many questions the president has fielded from reporters – and it paints a stunning contrast against the isolated, hidden presidency of Joe Biden.
President Trump invites the press into his office frequently. He spars routinely with reporters just outside the White House. And on Tuesday, in what seemed like an impossibly humorous stunt, Trump waltzed across the roof of the White House and took questions from the press, yelling down with a sardonic smile when asked what he was doing.
“Taking a little walk!” he said.
Trump was apparently inspecting the roof above the briefing room, perhaps for a future construction project.
“Anything I do is financed by me, so you don’t have to worry,” he told reporters. “It’s contributed – just like my salary is contributed, but nobody ever mentions that.”
Funny and accessible
President Trump is a fun president. From walking on roofs to attending UFC fights alongside Dana White, there’s no telling what Trump will do next – and that’s the thrall of the Trump brand, in or out of the White House.
President Trump is comfortable talking to the press because he’s been talking to them his entire career, and, arguably, playing them like a fiddle.
“One thing I’ve learned about the press is that they’re always hungry for a good story, and the more sensational the better,” he wrote in his most well-known book, Art of the Deal. “It’s in the nature of the job, and I understand that. The point is that if you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you.”
In the book, he also discussed the reality of negative press – and how even bad stories can be a benefit. “The funny thing is that even a critical story, which may be hurtful personally, can be very valuable to your business,” he explained.
Despite his sharp relationship with a sharky mainstream media, the dichotomy of Donald Trump is never more present than in his willingness to be open and transparent with the press while simultaneously being willing to challenge them on their assumptions.
Trump walks this line exceedingly well, and any successor who comes after him would be wise to do the same.
There is definitely more fun ahead
Despite mainstream headlines and social media controversies that rise and set like the sun, President Trump is having a good time. He’s enjoying his second term. Whether overseeing the construction of a White House ballroom (funded privately, not by American taxpayers) or joking with reporters about building “nuclear missiles” on the roof of the People’s House, Trump 2.0 is a sight to behold.
With years of legal battles, media smear campaigns, and weaponized intelligence in the rearview mirror, nothing can keep Trump down. He’s winning on all fronts. He’s secured the border. Deportation is rolling ahead. Tariffs are generating billions of dollars. Trade deals are being made across the world.
Why shouldn’t he enjoy himself? He, like the American people, worked hard for this moment of triumph, and it should be celebrated.
And, thankfully for the American public, nearly every moment of this unprecedented presidency is being catalogued for posterity, captured in bite-sized clips, and preserved in countless interviews and press conferences.
There are several years of fun ahead, and it will be exciting to see how Trump’s administration develops over the coming months of leadership. And if nothing else is clear, one thing is: there won’t be a single boring moment.
Trump is having fun, and the American people are along for the ride.