Howard Kurtz - Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War over the Truth

Copyright 2018 by Howard Kurtz

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To Abby, an amazing writer, and Laurie, an amazing talker;

To Judy, an incredible journalist, and Bonnie, an inspiring teacher

CONTENTS

Table of Contents

A NOTE ON SOURCES

T his is a book based on original reporting. Most of the interviews were conducted on a not-for-attribution basis to achieve the most candid and accurate account possible of Donald Trumps election and presidency. In describing scenes and conversations where I was not present, I have spoken with one or more people with first-hand knowledge of what happened.

Ive drawn on a wide array of reporting and commentary from newspapers, magazines, networks, websites, and social media, and have credited them as frequently as possible in these chapters. My thanks to those in the political and media worlds who generously shared their time to help me tell the story of one of the most challenging periods in American history.

T wo days after Donald Trump was inaugurated, Kellyanne Conway dived into a media maelstrom with an appearance on Meet the Press.

It did not go well.

She and Meet the Press host Chuck Todd had a history. NBCs goateed political junkie had texted her after four a.m. on Election Night, congratulating her on what he called the greatest upset in the history of American politics. Conway said she was euphoric.

But their relationship took a bad turn when she taped a Meet the Press interview in late November.

When she got home that Sunday morning and told her husband George that it had gone smoothly, he said, What do you mean? You werent on for even a minute.

Conway called Todd and asked what happened. The anchorwho had booked Conway under pressure from the Trump teamrealized there had been a miscommunication. He explained that he had told a staffer the show was packed and the most they could do was run sound bites.

I dont give sound bites. I dont speak in sound bites, she said.

Todd asked how he could make amends.

Its only 8 a.m. on the West Coast, Conway said. You can run the whole interview. Youve done 8 minutes with Ash Carter, Barack Obamas secretary of defense, and Im falling asleep. Conway was steamed. NBC News President Deborah Turness called to mend fences, but Conway did not respond.

Now Kellyanne was doing a live interview with Todd from the North Lawn of the White House. Todd demanded to know why Trump press secretary Sean Spicer had made a ridiculous statement that was a provable falsehood about Trumps inaugural crowd being bigger than Obamas. Things turned personal when Todd laughed at Conways explanation that Spicer was providing alternative facts.

Your job is not to call things ridiculous that are said by our press secretary and our president, Conway said. Youre supposed to be a news person. Youre not an opinion columnist.

Conway was disgusted and knew her pushback against Todd would not get replayed on any network. Conway was sympathetic toward journalists, but here she was, trying to talk about Trumps policy agenda, and getting ripped by a guy she had known for two decades. She thought it was symbolic of the way were treated by the press.

Todd regretted letting his emotions show, but not the substance of his questions. He thought Kellyanne had simply run out of talking points, and was laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The fact that it was a satellite interview, lacking the conversational cues provided by a face-to-face sit-down, made his interruptions look overly confrontational.

The president called Conway to congratulate her on her performance against Todd. His vice president, Mike Pence, later joked to her: Does Chuck Todd have any teeth left?

But the unfortunate phrase alternative facts stuck to her like tarpaper. She had meant equally accurate explanations, like two plus two equals four and three plus one equals four, but it quickly became journalistic shorthand for White House exaggerations and falsehoods. One viewer, however, liked the phrase.

In a way, that was genius, Trump told Conway.

And in another way? she asked.

The president was too busy sympathizing. They do that to me all the time, take one word, he said.

Two days later, Chuck Todd texted her with an offer: Would love to chat when you have time. I also think we should do a face to face sit down on cam. Maybe something more extended for my cable show sometime next week. Just a thought. All about reminding folks we both prefer cordial back n forths.

Kellyanne happened to be meeting with the president. She asked him how to respond.

Tell him I thought you were treated with great disrespect, Trump said.

Conway tapped the words into her iPhone: President Trump said you treated me with great disrespect.

Todd quickly replied: I respectfully disagree. Of course, Ive taken a lot more disrespect than most reporters and never make it public. Im sorry this was your response.

Kellyanne texted, That was his response. I typed what he said.

Well. Let me know what YOU think of my pitch.

Conway put the phone down. She was done with Todd.

She eventually relented, and Turness, the NBC news chief, came to see her and Hope Hicks, the presidents loyal young assistant. Conway did not hide her disdain for how NBC and MSNBC were treating the administration.

This is a side of me you never see, she said. Im usually kind and gracious. Your networks are a hot mess.

Turness said that MSNBC was the province of its president, Phil Griffin.

No, its your stepchild, Conway said.

And youve got SNL, Hicks added, the comedy show on which Alec Baldwin was brutally mimicking Trump.

Turness delivered an overall apology. NBC wanted to continue a fifty-year tradition of spending a day trailing each new president with a camera crew. Fat chance, Conway thought, if this is how were going to be covered.

I let you guys into the White House and this is what happens, she said.

Donald Trump is staking his presidency, as he did his election, on nothing less than destroying the credibility of the news media; and the media are determined to do the same to him. This is not just a feud or a fight or a battle. It is scorched-earth warfare in which only one side can achieve victory.