As the trial of former President Trump gets underway in New York City, part of his strategy seems to be to step before the cameras once a day and spout a bunch of falsehoods about what is going on inside the courtroom.
From what we have seen so far, the press allows him to do this and in some cases even carries the remarks live with no editing.
This situation seems custom built for a reporter willing to adopt the Sam Donaldson approach. Part journalism and part theatrics, it would require someone in the Trump trial press corps to counter-shout questions at Trump the entire time he is talking. Interrupting him. Challenging every word that comes out of his mouth with provocative questions meant to throw Trump off balance, maybe anger him, and possibly produce some real news. Like “you’re damn right” I ordered the code red!!
Donaldson was a long time White House correspondent for ABC News who pestered former President Reagan with shouted questions throughout his presidency. While some say Donaldson ended up playing into Reagan’s hands, it is also true that Donaldson’s strategy meant Reagan was never let off the hook. And Donaldson’s approach led others to try to match him, turning up the heat further.
