President Trump has invited conservative media outlets to a White House reception Monday night, Politico reported Sunday.
Breitbart, formerly run by chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, One America News Network and The Daily Caller will all be present. Politico reported that columnists and talk radio hosts have also been invited.
These outlets “were neglected the last eight years, and they’re an important medium to communicate to a massively growing number of Americans who, frankly, have grown tired of mainstream media’s coverage,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told Politico.
{mosads}The reception is part of the Trump administration’s push to give White House access to a “more diverse set of media outlets,” Spicer said.
“We’ve definitely done our fair share of meetings with mainstream reporters. Once in a while it’s important to appreciate the folks who have really covered the president fairly and covered a lot of issues ignored by mainstream media,” Spicer added.
In an Associated Press interview Sunday, Trump talked about what media he consumes.
“I don’t watch CNN anymore. I don’t watch MSNBC. I don’t watch it,” the told the AP.
“I never thought I had the ability to not watch. … I never thought I had the ability to not watch what is unpleasant, if it’s about me. Or pleasant.
“But when I see it’s such false reporting and such bad reporting and false reporting that I’ve developed an ability that I never thought I had. I don’t watch things that are unpleasant. I just don’t watch them.”