Monday evening, about 30 conservative reporters, editors, and radio hosts were invited to the White House for a background briefing with the illegitimate president and some of his top aides, but when it was over with, many of them were spectacularly unimpressed with the event.

For starters, everyone on the group had to surrender their cell phones before the meeting began in the Roosevelt Room. White House officials told them that was necessary because the meeting would be off-the-record and they could not attribute any quotes that might come out of Trump or other officials.

But minutes later, the group was told they could quote Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who then announced new tariffs on Canadian lumber imports.

When the meeting had concluded, one person who was present told The Hill:

“This is what happens when Never Trump, low-energy, Jeb Bush staffers infiltrate Donald Trump’s White House. The incompetence by the White House press staff does not serve the president’s interests well.”

Another source commented that the White House seems to have a double standard when it comes to the media: They slam the mainstream media in public but then grant exclusive interviews to the New York Times:

“They packed us in a room and made us fight for scraps. It’s not exclusive if you give it to 40 journalists and then make us fight over it. Did [New York Times reporters] Maggie Haberman or Glenn Thrush have to surrender their cell phones for their interview? The White House would be better served if they called on us one by one like he does with them.”

Donald Trump has a love-hate relationship with the press. On the one hand, he longs for their approval and desperately needs them to convey his propaganda to his political base. On the other, he wants to use the media as a foil, a scapegoat when he fails to accomplish anything or makes himself look like a complete fool.

These right-wing media figures got a taste of how Trump treats anyone who dares to ask him serious questions, and they didn’t like it. Maybe it’s time they started reporting the truth instead of sucking up to this buffoon.

This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org