Members of the White House press corps have started shouting questions at President Trump in order to keep pushing the news cycle forward.

There have been several instances during the commander-in-chief’s second stint in the White House in which questions from reporters have resulted in immediate action. 

Insiders are now telling The Hill that the interactions have now caused a trend.  

Standing on the White House lawn earlier this month alongside Elon Musk, one reporter yelled out: ‘Mr. President, you talked about some of the violence that’s been going on at a [Tesla] dealerships. 

‘Some say they should be labeled domestic terrorists’, to which Trump quickly responded: ‘I’ll do that.

‘We’re going to stop it if we catch anybody doing it because they’re harming a great American company.’

Shortly after the comments, he launched a task force dedicated to crackdown and investigate the string of incidents that have hit the company. 

It is just one in a string of incidents where a shouted question or suggestion has resulted in direct action from Trump. 

President Donald Trump speaks to the press next to a map of the “Gulf of America” after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House

Reporters raise their hand to ask a question as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing on March 26, 2025

Inside the Oval Office last week Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump: ‘The astronauts that you just helped save from space, they didn’t get any overtime pay. 

‘Is there anything the administration can do to make them whole?’

Trump smirked as he responded: ‘Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket. I’ll take care of it.’ It remains unclear if Trump has stayed true to his word.

According to insiders who spoke with the outlet, reporters are using it to underscore Trump’s focus on the press. 

It was also said that they are using the ploy in the hope of additional headlines and new news cycles. 

One reporter said: ‘It’s getting to the point where a reporter can just offhandedly mention something to him on camera and start an entire news cycle off of it. 

‘It’s unclear if Trump is actually unaware of some of this stuff beforehand or is just professing ignorance for tactical reasons.’ 

Trump is well known for sharing his thoughts on the media and its coverage, and has started making a habit of asking which outlet a reporter works for when questioned.

Trump, alongside Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, speaks next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11

If the reporter is working for a outlet that the president sees as having treated him right he will continue, if not he starts to throw insults or simply ignores them.

Peter Loge, a political scientist at George Washington University, also told the outlet: ‘What he sees on television and what he’s asked by the press definitely influences how he responds to things, and how he makes decisions. 

‘He’s defined himself by his own television and popular persona for decades. He thinks in media terms first, like a television producer who translates television into policy.’

Some of those in the White House covering Trump have made it a habit of asking certain types of questions to get a response from him. 

Many of this is aimed at soundbites or video clips of themselves posing a question that they know will provoke him. 

One national Republican strategist told the outlet: ‘It kind of seems like they’re testing the limits of what he’ll respond to. 

‘And on Trump’s side, he’s using the answer to the shouted question as a sort of testing ground for some of these decisions might land in terms of reaction form the public.

‘He tends to react quickly to anything that touches on his brand, or legacy – especially now that he’s in his second term.

Others told the outlet that they believe West Wing staffers could be using the press pool to put issues at the front of Trump’s mind

Some of those in the White House covering Trump have made it a habit of asking certain types of questions to get a response from him

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 26, 2025

‘Especially if the framing is somewhat critical or casts doubt on his authority or popularity – those tend to rise to the top of his radar.’ 

Others told the outlet that they believe West Wing staffers could be using the press pool to put issues at the front of Trump’s mind. 

Another correspondent said: ‘I’ve always found if you put on a smile and ask politely, you’re going to get a response from him.

‘It seems a lot of reporters are taking that approach given the access drama that is unfolding in the middle of all of this.’  

The White House is currently in a legal row with the Associated Press after they were banned from covering President Trump over their refusal to use the ‘Gulf of America’. 

It comes after the White House Correspondents Association ousted the scheduled comedian for their annual dinner this year.

Amber Ruffin was set to perform at the famed event next month but the association’s board have unanimously voted to remove her. 

Eugene Daniels, president of the WHCA, said that he wanted to ensure ‘the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues’.

The move to dismiss Ruffin comes after she spoke about the dinner in a podcast this week with the Daily Beast. 

She said on it that the Trump White House is staffed with ‘murderers’ and described the administration as ‘not human beings’. 

Taylor Budowich, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, shared a clip of Ruffin on the podcast to his X account and slammed the comic on Friday.

In it, he said: ‘This year’s WHCA dinner will be hosted by a 2nd rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration “murderers.”‘

Budowich continued to quote Ruffin saying the Trump admin shouldn’t get to feel like human beings ‘because you’re not.’ 

‘What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this? More importantly, what kind of company would sponsor such as hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?’