With Donald Trump quickly trying to fill positions within his administration and quiet the growing dissent among his transition team, it’s becoming clear that while white supremacists may be welcome in his White House, journalists won’t be.
In his first week as president-elect, Trump has doubled down on the disdain for the press he displayed during his campaign, shutting reporters out from events like his meeting with President Obama and appearing sparingly on news shows like 60 Minutes. He has yet to hold a press conference.
But on Friday, viewers will finally get an in-depth look at their future commander-in-chief. Sort of.
TMZ announced that it will broadcast a one-hour special on Fox News featuring Donald Trump walking TMZ founder and editor Harvey Levin through his apartment and reflecting on various objects around his home. It’s basically an episode of MTV’s Cribs, but with more gold leaf and less charm.
The special—titled OBJECTified: Donald Trump, though jury’s out over whether that’s a nod to his long history of objectifying women—was recorded in mid-September, according to a press release from Fox News. “Trump recounts the stories behind photos, letters, trophies and other cherished keepsakes he’s acquired through his lifetime,” reads the statement.
Despite its reputation as a peddler of gossip and triviality, TMZ nevertheless commands the attention of news editors for its habit of unearthing footage of sports stars and celebrities behaving badly. It was TMZ that launched the current conversation about domestic abuse in the NFL when it released video of Ray Rice beating his wife unconscious in an elevator. Despite his willingness to pay thousands for the cooperation of sources—a big ethical no-no for journalists—Levin, the site’s founder and editor in chief, desperately wants his publication to be treated like any other news organization.
But a one-hour infomercial, by all appearances conducted entirely on Trump’s own terms, undercuts that message.
Meanwhile, Trump has reiterated his intolerance for actual journalists. He brought Peter Thiel—who waged war against press freedom by funding a lawsuit against Gawker—aboard his transition team. He has floated Laura Ingraham—a conservative flamethrower—as a possible press secretary. And Trump’s jihad against reporters is catching on among his fellow Republicans: On Tuesday, Reuters reporter Patricia Zengerle said at least one congressman’s office is instituting a new “no press” policy.
Just called a Republican congressional office I deal with often and was told the press relations staff is no longer speaking to reporters.
— Pat Zengerle (@ReutersZengerle) November 15, 2016
Of course, Donald Trump was a loud-mouthed, thrice-married New York billionaire* long before he became a politician. That he is more comfortable with the New York Post’s Page Six than the New York Times’ A1 shouldn’t come as a surprise. But whether or not he allows reporters into his press room, reporters will remain far more interested in his tax returns than the story behind his favorite self-portrait.