Conway: Press will have ‘daily access’ to Trump

Top Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway on Thursday promised the press will have “daily access” to the president-elect after he takes office, downplaying criticisms that he hasn’t had a news conference since winning the election. 

Conway, who will serve as a counselor to the president in the Trump administration, blamed Trump’s busy schedule for the lack of news conferences. 

“Let me say this: Donald Trump and Mike Pence have been forming their Cabinet at a rapid pace,” Conway said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” 

{mosads}”The record speed with which they’ve done their Cabinet and their senior team is really something to behold.” 

She added that Trump and Pence are “way ahead of schedule” in developing a Cabinet. 

Pushed on when Trump would hold a press conference, Conway demurred. 

“This will be a traditional White House in the sense you will have a great deal of press availability on a daily basis and you’ll have a president who continues to be engaged with the press.” 

She said the Trump team will name a press secretary soon, a job she turned down. 

A president-elect usually holds a press conference within days of winning the election, but Trump did not. 

His campaign has said Trump will have a press conference in January to discuss how he will handle the conflicts of interests posed by his global business empire. 

Trump’s critics have seized on the lack of press conferences to argue he is skirting the transparency and accountability expected of a president-elect.

The Democratic National Committee emails reporters daily with a reminder of how long it has been since Trump last held a news conference, a streak that stands at 148 days.

No president-elect dating back to 1976 has waited longer to hold a press conference. Bill Clinton held the previous record of nine days, set after his 1992 victory. By contrast, it has been 44 days since Trump won the election.