As The Independent’s White House correspondent, I’ve spent years covering Donald Trump – travelling with him as part of the press pool, watching how decisions are made in real time, and seeing first-hand how quickly a day that begins as routine can turn into something far more unpredictable.
That volatility is now playing out on the global stage. From US–Iran tensions to wider questions about Nato, alliances and America’s role in the world, the stakes of his presidency continue to extend well beyond Washington.
In a recent Ask Me Anything, readers put their questions directly to me about Trump’s global ambitions, US–Iran relations, and what it is like covering the White House from inside the press pool.
Here are some of your questions – and my answers:
Q: What is the hardest part of the press pool?
Scout
A: When we talk about the “pool” what we mean is the rotating group of reporters whose job is to keep tabs on the president, go into smaller venues where the entire press corps can't go (e.g. the Oval Office or cabinet room) to ask questions and file “pool reports” that go out to the entire press corps with colour and information on what is transpiring, as well as travel with the president when he leaves Washington by flying with him aboard Air Force One.
The main “challenge” of pool duty is boredom — or fatigue.
I've spent countless hours sitting in vans or in holding areas/workspaces while presidents have closed-door meetings or engage in recreational activities (such as golf), or at the White House on days where the president has no public events scheduled, all on the off chance that he may change his mind and speak to us.
Sometimes the long hours are rewarded with a chance to ask questions or witness real history. For example, I was on pool duty in August 2024 the day Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and several other wrongly detained Americans arrived home after then-president Biden secured their release from Russian prisons.
Q: Are you concerned about press freedom?
Andypandy
A: Very concerned.
We have extremely strong press freedom guarantees in this country — actually far stronger than in the UK — but the economic realities of the news business have meant increasing consolidation which makes bigger organisations — usually TV news — more susceptible to pressure from the government.
It's also disturbing to see the administration take drastic steps to limit press access, such as literally closing the Pentagon's press facilities and attempting to relocate the Pentagon press corps to an off-site building while requiring escorts to speak with anyone in the Pentagon itself.
They've also made it harder to keep track of what the president and vice president say on a daily basis by cutting off the release of official transcripts prepared by the White House — there are stenographers in every briefing and at every presidential event but those transcripts are no longer released to us.
The good thing is there are organisations out there that are pushing back, and individual reporters continue to do the same by breaking news and shining light into what this administration is doing — that's something we'll continue to do long after Trump is no longer on the scene.
Q: Are Republicans fully behind Trump? And why do they not stand up to Trump?
leafspot and punda
A: “MAGA Republicans” remain extremely loyal, but they remain a minority of the country. Trump won a lot of votes from GOP-leaning voters who are now swinging the other way because he hasn’t done what he promised with prices.
Republicans in Congress and governors’ mansions want to remain in office, and Trump has been effective in swinging Republican primary voters against those who cross him.
If he remains as unpopular as he is now (or more so) I would predict some in the GOP grow a spine as soon as primary filing deadlines start passing this year.
Q: Do Trump’s outrageous statements get reactions in the room?
EnfieldLad
A: I have no idea what's in the president's head at any given moment but having read a number of his books and covered him for 10 years, I can say with some certainty that his more outrageous statements are deliberate and made for effect.
Sometimes he thinks he's being funny, like when he made a Pearl Harbor joke during that meeting with the Japanese PM. It did not go over well in the room or with the PM.
Q: Given Trump's affinity to authoritarian leaders, are you confident that he will risk losing the mid-term elections and being impeached by the new congress?
Ex Cavalryman
A: The president is on increasingly shaky political ground heading into the midterm elections this November.
Trump can read a poll and knows his party is likely to take a thumping. But he also knows he still has two more years in power after that.
It's not a matter of him taking any risks. The elections are happening and our electoral system is so decentralised that he can't really do much to interfere.
I strongly suspect there will be impeachment proceedings against him for a third time, but I would not place any bets on him being removed from office.
Q: Does Trump care about international law?
Wellsy61
A: Yes — the president is a true believer in a throwback style of “might makes right” international relations and he also has been granted sweeping immunity from prosecution in the U.S. by our Supreme Court, for better or worse.
To the extent there's any distancing by Vance, Rubio, etc, it would be to preserve their political futures as 2028 gets closer.
Q: Is there any chance of the 25th Amendment being invoked?
NeilSmush
A: No, no, and also, no.
Even if JD Vance were able to convince a majority of Trump's cabinet to sign on and declare him incapacitated, he can simply send a letter stating he's no longer incapacitated. The only way to make it stick would be a supermajority vote in both the House and Senate, and that's simply not happening.
Truth be told, the 25th was written for a situation in which the president has had a stroke or some sort of catastrophic injury and is incapacitated but not actually dead.
Q: Has Trump severely undermined US political clout?
LiSitu
A: Yes, based on what my sources tell me I think the next president — and the one after that — will have a heavy lift as far as restoring America's reputation as an ally and/or partner is concerned.
Q: Does Trump have a driving licence?
PorkRoll
A: Trump has a Florida license and previously had one issued by his former home state of New York. He has owned a number of high-end cars that he has driven over the years, including a 2007 Ferrari at one point.
He famously managed to obtain a New York vanity license plate with his initials, “DJT,” which appeared on a number of vehicles associated with him over the years. The initialed license plate was something he picked up from his infamous lawyer-fixer, the late Roy Cohn, who used a plate for his car with the initials “RMC.”
While Trump does have a license, Secret Service rules prohibit him from driving, though he is permitted to get behind the wheel of a golf cart and does so frequently.
These questions and answers were part of an ‘Ask Me Anything’ hosted by Andrew Feinberg on Thursday 9 April. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.
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