Trump actually addressed reporters and did not have scripted questions. He handled the MSM and his opponents with ease. Even after all of the MSM smears, Trump just rose up to the occasion and called the MSM out for being fake news. But the Biden Administration seems to be going a different route. They are practically silencing the Press as they are only allowing the big new networks to ask questions and are charging everyone to be there, by forcing the networks to pay for their own COVID tests.
With dozens of journalists at the White House each day, the fees could add up to tens of thousands of dollars flowing from newsrooms, many of them small and cash-strapped, into government coffers.
Until now, the cost of testing has been borne by the White House. But officials there contend that the cost of maintaining the testing regime for nearly a year has strained its budget. So it wants to shift the burden onto news organizations: No test, no entry to the White House.
“It sets up a means test for White House coverage,” said one correspondents’ association member familiar with the proposal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the policy hasn’t been formally announced. No other federal agency charges journalists a test fee, this person said.
The fees would add up quickly for larger news organizations, too. The TV networks send as many as eight people a day to the White House grounds to report, produce and operate cameras and equipment. It would cost $1,360 a day to test an eight-person crew under the White House plan.”
Smaller news organizations are not going to be able to report from the White House, which will really limit the voice of the people. But really there is not a big incentive for smaller news organizations to go in the first place, since they are not allowed to ask questions, even if they pay to be there. So in a way, the Biden Administration is silencing the media except for the big corporate MSM networks that can afford it. Whereas Trump was so transparent all you needed was a Twitter account and you would be in the know. And he didn’t charge anyone to be there.