The State Department will hold a news conference Tuesday for the first time since President Donald Trump took office, ending a nearly two-month silent spell that has vexed the press corps inside the building and diplomats who follow the briefings from afar.
Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner, a career official who served as the deputy spokesman during the Obama administration, will lead the news conference. In the Obama State Department, the briefing was held almost every workday.
North Korea’s recent missile launch, the Trump administration’s visa and refugee policy, and the ongoing conflict in Syria are all likely to be raised when Toner takes the podium.
The lack of briefings has not only irritated Washington journalists seeking clarity on the new administration’s foreign policy positions, but also US diplomats and foreign officials who see the briefings as a key source of guidance on the administration’s stances, messaging and priorities.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s own silence since taking office has added to the lack of information.
The former oil executive has given only a handful of prepared statements to the press and has not taken any questions. He has allowed cameras into some of his meetings with foreign leaders at the State Department for brief photo ops, but unlike predecessors has completely ignored shouted questions.
The State Department planned to hold its initial briefing Monday. The agency explained the delay by pointing to Tillerson’s participation in the unveiling of the administration’s updated travel ban executive order.