Jan 9, 2017

The facts on Trump's 1st news conference

When/Where: This Wednesday, in New York City. He'll speak the day after the Senate hosts a confirmation hearing for Sen. Jeff Sessions' nomination as Attorney General, and the day after President Obama delivers his farewell address in Chicago.

Wait, wasn't this supposed to happen already? Yes. It's been nearly a month since Trump promised a news conference on January 15. Several delays later, we have one promised for Wednesday.

That seems unusual: Since Gerald Ford, the average wait time between being elected/sworn in and delivering the first press conference has been about five days. Trump's first press conference on Wednesday will occur 64 days after he was elected.

Which is ironic, because:

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So? Who cares? A Rasmussen poll earlier this year said 82% of likely voters believe major presidential candidates should hold regular press conferences with reporters and almost half of all likely voters said the practice is "very important."

Oh, and in case you forgot: Trump's last press conference on July 27th made headlines when he urged Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails.

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