Donald Trump Explains Why Sarah Sanders Stopped Doing Press Briefings

The briefings drew unprecedented media attention in the Trump era, as numerous cable news channels ran them live as Sanders shot down increasingly antagonistic reporters.

After Mr Trump clashed angrily with CNN reporter Jim Acosta at a press conference in November, the White House briefly withdrew his credentials, before a court ordered them reinstated. Sanders has not held a single press briefing in 2019, which may in part stem from the current government shutdown.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the president said the press covers Sanders "so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press. Because they know a little word called 'loyalty, '" Trump told Ryan, then a Wisconsin congressman. "Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News!" he wrote.

"This retreat from transparency and accountability sets a bad precedent", said association president Olivier Knox.

Trump's tweet came shortly after White House spokesman Hogan Gidley was asked about the subject during a live interview on Fox News.

"Look, I don't think we're going to listen to her on much of anything, particularly not on matters we're gonna leave in the hands of a much, much higher authority, and certainly not listen to the freshman Congresswoman on when the world may end".

"Sarah Sanders will absolutely be back to the podium ... delivering the message to the American people", he said.

He added that in the past, when Sanders was appearing more regularly, the media wanted to hear more from Trump.

"It's kind of ridiculous, you can't win for losing half the time", he continued.

The last briefing where Ms Sanders took questions from reporters was on December 18. Instead, she has been giving informal briefings just outside the briefing room, as have other administration officials such as Kellyanne Conway.

Gidley noted that Trump often engages with the media on the White House lawn while walking to board Marine One and is famous for giving his views on Twitter.