Pressed

So, here's my understanding: A press conference is first and foremost a "conference." It happens to take place with "press" in this iteration. The suggestion here is that views would be exchanged. Questions would be posed. Questions would be answered. I'll give you a hypothetical: A Hollywood star has been seen catting around with someone other than his wife. Rumors and hearsay abound. As disinformation begins to swirl, representatives of the Hollywood star suggest a "press conference." This will enable a great many members of the fourth estate to gather as a group to gather the real story. Or at least what the Hollywood star is putting forth as "the real story." There might be a prepared statement in which the Hollywood star's version is laid out. Then journalists from various outlets begin to ask their questions. Some of them will be easily answered, referring back to the prepared statement. Some of them will poke holes in the Hollywood star's account. At the end of the press conference, the "press" will retire to their offices, basements, studios and so forth to prepare their assimilation of what they have collected. These are, hopefully, the assemblage that will give the clearest picture of the episode. 

Then the public will digest the reportage. Opinions will be formed and perhaps reshaped. And then we move on. 

Last week, the former game show host and convicted felon held a press conference at his home. The golf club known as Mar-A-Lago. He was asked questions. To give him credit, he may have been doing his best to provide answers to those questions. Like when a reporter asked him about his thoughts about the topic of abortion. "I think that abortion has become much less of an issue. It's a very small - I think it's actually going to be a very small issue. What I've done is I've done what every Democrat and every Republican wanted to have done." This statement issued forth from the same mouth that “After fifty years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade." The same mouth that insisted, "Hard to believe, they have some states passing legislation where you can execute the baby after birth. It’s crazy.” 

And this is where you would expect a follow-up, from the "press," suggesting their role in this operation. Nope. Didn't happen. Each question from the press was simply an opportunity to open up his greatest hits, on a related topic or not, and spew the same rambling rhetoric that he flings about at his rallies. This came as a stark contrast to the experience the twice-impeached former "president" had a week prior to that at the National Association of Black Journalists. When the tiny tyrant aired his views about Kamala Harris' heritage, for example, the journalists conducting the interview asked follow-up questions. By contrast, when that topic came up at Mar-A-Lago, he flippantly responded, “Well, you’ll have to ask her that question because she’s the one who said it; I didn’t say it,” Trump falsely stated. “So, you’ll have to ask her.”

As press conferences go, this one was revealing in its own chaotic way. 

Now we take this information and form our own opinions. If we're able.