Should Stenographers Record Presidents’ Public Statements?

The story

A former White House stenographer says that President Donald Trump eschews efforts to record his public statements and conversations, breaking a tradition to which every president since Reagan has adhered.

The former stenographer, Beck Dorey-Stein, says Trump does not like microphones near his face, and holds private, unrecorded meetings with reporters.

Why it matters

Trump frequently accuses the media of misreporting his statements, but the White House stenographers’ job is meant in part to protect the president from misquotation. Dorey-Stein explains:

“We carried a microphone and two recorders at all times, and let them run until the last reporter had left the room, just in case somebody yelled a question over his shoulder with one foot out the door. Should the press actually misquote the president, we were there, armed with an official transcript of what the president did or did not say.”

Several recent events have underscored the importance of an accurate transcript. On his visit earlier this month to the United Kingdom, for example, the president denied making disparaging comments about British Prime Minister Theresa May in an interview. The tabloid in question then released a recording of the remarks, confirming it had reported them accurately.

Earlier this year, the White House had to correct its transcript of a meeting on immigration. The transcript reportedly omitted an important statement from the President regarding his support for a proposal that would restore protections for unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The stenographers reportedly had difficulty keeping up with sustained cross-talk, and were hampered by inadequate microphones.

When it comes to presidential utterances, words matter. A stenographer for former President George W. Bush inadvertently triggered a storm of criticism when she corrected his grammar, leading to accusations that the White House was attempting to alter the historic record.

According to Dorey-Stein, the Trump White House has said stenographers are not needed because “there would be video.” Dorey-Stein argues that video is insufficient:

“We type up our transcripts from our audio, so it hasn’t been tampered with and it not only goes to the press office, the press, but also the presidential archive… That’s really important to have an accurate recording at all times, especially when the press is involved, just to make sure that we are recording the truth and that no one has complicated that.”

What do you think?

Should stenographers document all public speech by U.S. presidents? Hit Take Action to tell your reps what you think, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / zssp)