Trump Talks White House Leaks, Pins Whole Thing on Obama

President Donald Trump is addressing the issue of White House information being leaked to the press by blaming Barack Obama.

The Commander in Chief spoke about how he would have handled things differently than did Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who increased security and introduced random cell phone checks.

“I would have done it differently,” Trump told Fox & Friends Tuesday, Feb. 28. “I would have gone one-on-one with different people. We don’t have a major leak process [in the White House], we have a major leak process in government.”

Trump then pointed to former President Obama as the mastermind of the leak issue.

“I think that President Obama’s behind it because his people are certainly behind it,” Trump said. “And some of the leaks possibly come from that group. … But I also understand that’s politics. And in terms of him being behind things, that’s politics. And it will probably continue.”

After stating Obama deported “a lot of people,” Trump scored himself on how he’s doing in the White House so far. He gave himself an A+ for effort and a “C or C+” for his messaging.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top