Far-right media outlets will get some private face time with President Donald Trump on Monday at a small reception at the White House, Politico reported.
Breitbart News, The Daily Caller, and One American News Network are among the invited guests, along with a handful of talk radio hosts and columnists whom Politico did not name.
This is the latest overture the Trump administration has made to these publications, which the White House press secretary said received short shrift during Barack Obama’s tenure.
“They were neglected the last eight years, and they’re an important medium to communicate to a massively growing number of Americans who, frankly, have grown tired of mainstream media’s coverage,” Sean Spicer told Politico, saying they hoped to connect with a “more diverse set of media outlets.”
Spicer has broken with the tradition of giving the Associated Press the first question at daily press briefings, opting instead to call on friendly faces from Fox News or the Christian Broadcasting Network. The administration has also drawn a number of its senior staff from the world of conservative media. Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland and White House aide Sebastian Gorka were frequent commentators on Fox, while chief strategist Steve Bannon and special assistant Julia Hahn were plucked from Breitbart.
Spicer told Politico that the reception was intended as a token of gratitude towards “the folks who have really covered the president fairly.”
