UPDATE: The White House Correspondents' Association has responded to Priebus' remarks, arguing they are factually incorrect.
Statement by @whca President @jeffmason1 about Briefing Room seating pic.twitter.com/3XeG3ncoSA
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 14, 2016
***Original Post***
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest holds a press briefing nearly every day to offer updates on the Obama administration's policies or actions and field questions from reporters. The White House Correspondents’ Association largely determines where each reporter gets to sit.
Incoming Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told Salem radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday that the Trump administration may be doing things a little differently.
HH: Last two questions have to do with the media. First of all, instead of that boring Saturday morning radio address, I think the President should do a Friday morning drive time nationally syndicated show each week, you know, in the morning when you can shape news. Don’t you agree?
RP: Well, you know, what? Look, I think that many things have to change, and I think that it’s important that we look at all of those traditions that are great, but quite frankly, as you know, don’t really make news…
HH: No.
RP: And they’re just sort of…
HH: It’s horrible.
RP: …mundane, boring episodes. And you know, even looking at things like the daily White House briefing from the press secretary, I mean, there’s a lot of different ways that things can be done, and I can assure you we’re looking at that.
Priebus suggested that the press seating chart will get a shakeup as well and may not be as formalized as it had been during the Obama years.
"You know, this was the first front row assigned seat issue, as I understand it, started in the Obama administration," Priebus said. "In the Bush administration, you just took a seat, and I guess there were a couple of people that have had reserved spots. But for the most part, the more formalized reserved seating piece came in over the last eight years. That issue is being talked about. The point of all of this conversation is that the traditions, while some of them are great, I think it’s time to revisit a lot of these things that have been done in the White House, and I can assure you that change is going to happen."
Surely, this is not going to "sit" well with the media.
Outlets like CNN and NBC are already freaking out that Trump has been breaking media protocol by not informing them about his whereabouts and choosing to make major announcements via Twitter instead of traditional press conferences.
I'd like to ask them: Is anything about Donald Trump traditional?
The president-elect is currently trying to narrow the field of candidates for press secretary. In the running are the RNC's Sean Spicer, radio host Laura Ingraham, Fox News contributor Monica Crowley and former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson.