When the president of the United States holds a press conference, it’s not your typical Q & A. Not all the questions get asked, and not all questions get answered. But the time the president spends in front of the Washington press corps reveals as much about the man, as his message.
President George W. Bush is not known for enjoying press conferences. He has held only nine solo performances since his term began. By this time in their presidencies, his father had held 61 and President Clinton had held 33.
Like it or not, the presidential press conference has been part of the job description since Woodrow Wilson held the first one in 1913. All presidents hold them, but each one does it differently, for different reasons, and with different results. The Connection explores the history and histrionics of the presidential press conference.
Guests:
Martha Joynt Kumar, Professor of Political Science at Towson University, formerly Director of the White House 2001 Project
David Gergen, Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, served as an advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Clinton, and served as Director of Communications for President Reagan
Dana Milbank, White House Correspondent for the Washington Post
Mike McCurry, former Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton, currently Chairman of Grassroots Enterprise in Washington, DC.