It's been 24 hours since President Donald Trump held his first press conference in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House.
Now those who cover him are beginning to seriously discuss whether he will finally follow the example of every one of his predecessors since John F. Kennedy and hold regular press conferences in prime time.
The president himself fueled the hopes of White House correspondents when, after an hour of taking questions on the coronavirus crisis as well as on his recent trip to India and remarks about the Supreme Court, he was asked whether he would "do this more often."
"Yeah, we'll do it," Trump replied Wednesday night. "If you like it, we'll do it."
"Yes, we would," a reporter shouted. Another shouted: "Yes, we would like it."
"We'll do it. We'll do it more often," Trump assured the correspondents on his way out.
Although he once used the briefing room in 2018 to make a statement on illegal immigration while flanked by law enforcement officials, he took no questions from reporters. So this was the first time White House reporters would get to question him on their own turf.
"It's really nice to talk to you without the helicopter," one obviously happy reporter prefaced his question to the president, a reference to the most common venue in which Trump takes questions from the media — on the White House lawn as he is about to board Marine One for a trip to Andrews Joint Base.
Another reporter began his question with, "Thank you, Mr. President." A delighted Trump responded, "Thank you very much. I don't know who said that, but I appreciate it."
Gone were the rancorous jousts Trump has had at other sessions with CNN's Jim Acosta and others. Even April Ryan of the Urban Network, a seasoned Trump antagonist, had a pleasant exchange with Trump.
Whether Trump holds another session remains to be seen.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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