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Journalists gather outside the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Washington.|Evan Vucci/AP Photo

But wordlessness comes with its downsides:

As my POLITICO colleague Michael Kruse, the author of scores of political profiles puts it, They dont need us to get elected. And we dont need them to write about them. The stand-off between Republican candidates and the press is likely to expand before it contracts. But thats in the short term. Making the media the enemy has a way of boomeranging on politicians. See the careers of George Wallace, Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew for historical examples.

As interest rises in the 2024 election, and readers and viewers start paying closer attention to the race (what sane person besides politicians and the press are paying much mind to 2024 now?), the candidates will soften their hard lines and talk to the press once again.

Then again, there may be more wisdom in cutting off the press than accounted for here. As former Vice President Hubert Humphrey once wrote, It is always a risk to speak to the press: They are likely to report what you say.

During the 1972 campaign, Hunter S. Thompson wrote, Hubert Humphrey is a treacherous, gutless old ward-heeler who should be put in a goddamn bottle and sent out with the Japanese Current. Send political invective to [emailprotected]. My email alerts are accepting no new subscriptions. My Twitter feed will talk to anybody. Just sign up. My RSS feed believes the silence is the best policy.

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Opinion | Unsolicited Advice for the Pouty Republicans Who Stiff Reporters - POLITICO