April Ryan, who has covered the White House for more than two decades, said her willingness to press President Donald Trump for answers turned her into a target of attacks rather than a journalist doing her job. Ryan made the remarks in a new interview reflecting on her career covering four presidential administrations.
Ryan, a correspondent for TheGrio and a longtime political analyst for CNN, has been a fixture in the White House briefing room since 1997, covering the Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump administrations. She is one of the longest-serving Black women in the White House press corps.
Her clashes with Trump became a recurring flashpoint. At a 2018 press conference, Trump asked Ryan "Are you friends of mine?" after she pressed him on whether he would meet with the Congressional Black Caucus. The exchange drew national attention and made Ryan a frequent subject of online harassment.
Ryan said the hostility she encountered went beyond typical political friction. She has described receiving threats and racist messages, and has said the pressure intensified as her profile grew during Trump's presidency.
She has written two books about her time in the briefing room. "The Presidency in Black and White," published in 2015, examined how presidents have handled issues affecting Black Americans. A follow-up, "Under Fire," published in 2018, documented the attacks she faced while covering Trump.
Ryan has said the role of the White House correspondent is not to be liked but to hold power accountable. She has argued that access to the president is meaningless without the willingness to ask difficult questions.
Her career has spanned major moments including the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the Sept. 11 attacks, the election of Barack Obama and the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryan continues to report on national politics and said she has no plans to leave the beat. She has described the briefing room as a place where the public's right to answers outweighs any individual journalist's comfort.
