White House Press Corps ‘Exhausted’ Before Trump Even Takes Office

With Trump set to take office for a second term, journalists are bracing themselves for what they predict will be a chaotic and exhausting period in their careers. In a candid conversation with Vanity Fair, several veteran political reporters shared their concerns about the fast pace and high-stakes nature of covering Trump’s presidency—before it has even officially begun.

Peter Baker, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, bemoaned the “toll” Trump’s first term took on the press corps, noting the “nonstop” nature of covering the Trump White House. “Anybody who went through it the last time remembers how nonstop it was,” he said. “It ends up kind of becoming all-consuming and taking over your life. It wears you down.”

Baker, who has spent decades covering politics, admitted that reporters were already feeling fatigued as they prepared for the next four years of covering a Trump presidency. “Everybody’s exhausted, and he hasn’t even taken office yet,” he lamented, signaling that the sense of burnout was widespread among his colleagues.

Julia Manchester, a national political reporter for The Hill, echoed these sentiments, describing Trump as a leader who thrives on unpredictability, pointing to the turmoil, shock value and frequent shakeups that marked Trump’s first term. For reporters, that means fast-paced, often last-minute news cycles that keep them on edge and scrambling to keep up with the latest developments.

Describing the aftermath of the November 5 election as déjà vu for the press corps, Manchester noted how quickly reporters were thrust back into the fray with the transition, cabinet picks, and a whirlwind of new developments. “It was right into the fire with this transition, with the Cabinet picks,” she explained. “And I think overall, just outside of the press corps, the country itself was feeling burnt out.”

Meredith McGraw, a Politico reporter, predicted that Trump’s second term would continue to be marked by behind-the-scenes drama, but added that news outlets would take a more strategic approach to covering the president this time around. While the media was criticized for its breathless coverage of Trump’s every tweet and social media post during his first term, McGraw suggested that publications will be more discerning in their coverage going forward. Instead, outlets would focus on “bigger-picture stories,” aiming to avoid being consumed by the daily noise and distractions that Trump often created on platforms like Twitter.

Baker, who shared McGraw’s view, said, “We’re not going to jump on every single stray voltage that comes out of his phone. We need to recognize that we’re not going to get caught in that cycle again.”

Reporters remain concerned about the possibility of tensions between the press and the administration. One of the most contentious aspects of Trump’s first term was the media’s antagonistic relationship with him. Baker expressed concern that the Trump administration might attempt to limit access to the White House press briefing room, a space where journalists often challenge the president’s spokesperson on issues of national importance.

Part of the stress the White House press corps is feeling may stem from the underlying reality that many members of the press are liberal, and that their personal political leanings have influenced the way they report. During his first term, many reporters took an aggressive stance toward Trump, scrutinizing his every move and launching extensive investigations into his policies and personal dealings. However, after Biden took office, there was a palpable shift in the press’s relationship with the White House. Many reporters who once held Trump and his press secretaries to the fire appeared more deferential to President Biden, with many outlets offering more sympathetic coverage and asking fewer tough questions in the White House briefing room. This shift has led some critics to argue that the press corps has essentially taken a four-year “break” from fulfilling their traditional watchdog role.