Former Obama Photographer Contrasts Trump's White House Press Relations With Previous Administrations

Former White House chief photographer Pete Souza has used his Instagram account to contrast the current administration's relationship with the press corps with those of past presidencies, notably drawing on his experiences with Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.

Souza, who served as official White House photographer during Obama's terms and also documented press conferences for Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush in his capacity as a photojournalist, posted a series of images and statements on Instagram. He highlighted that while press conferences may not have been a favorite activity for previous presidents, none of them engaged in rhetoric that Souza attributes to the current White House occupant.

Specifically, Souza stated that "NONE of them ever called the press ‘the enemy of the people.’" He also listed a series of other actions that, according to him, were not exhibited by Obama, Reagan, or the Bush presidents. These include telling a reporter to "shut up," calling a reporter "a stupid person" or "a sick person," making derogatory remarks to female reporters, labeling critical coverage as "fake news," prohibiting reporters from pool duties, or barring specific news organizations from the White House.

Souza concluded his post by quoting the current president, asking, "To throw back at him some of his own words: ‘What is wrong with you?’"

This is not the first time Souza has used his platform to draw comparisons. Earlier in the week, he shared an image of Barack Obama with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the caption, "Throwback to when the President of the United States was not suspected of being a Russian asset." Another post featured Obama reading a newspaper, accompanied by the comment, "Back when we had a President who read a newspaper, and didn’t call it ‘fake news’ when he was criticized."