• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipDonald Trump

Trump ‘Starts His Day With a Folder of Flattering News and Photos’

By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 9, 2017, 4:01 AM ET

President Trump allegedly has his own version of a magic mirror—comprised of RNC war room staffers.

According to reports by Vice News, Trump begins each day perusing a special folder of documents compiled by his staffers. The folder, derisively called the “propaganda document” by some, contains flattering news coverage, and sometimes, simply nice photos of the President.

As described by Vice:

“...the folders are filled with screenshots of positive cable news chyrons (those lower-third headlines and crawls), admiring tweets, transcripts of fawning TV interviews, praise-filled news stories, and sometimes just pictures of Trump on TV looking powerful.”

Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the report as “not true,” while Vice News reported that Sean Spicer “disputed the nature of the folder” (without providing any further detail).

Read: 5 Things to Know About Lara Trump, the President’s Daughter-In-Law

It is common practice for a sitting president to maintain a war room of staffers who are responsible for monitoring media coverage of the president and his administration. But according to Vice, Trump’s war room is apparently a little different from the others.

Read: Don’t Take the Bait From Trump, Journalists Say

Staffers start their day monitoring the morning shows on CNN, MSNBC and Fox as well as news published across the internet and in print. Then, Vice reports, they send the White House Communications Office an email containing screenshots of tweets, articles, chyrons, and interview transcripts containing positive coverage every 30 or so minutes. This process is repeated in the afternoon and a second folder is delivered to the president around 4:30 p.m.

According to the report, the only feedback the team producing the folder have ever received is that it needed to be “more f****** positive.”

About the Author
By Natasha Bach
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Nicholas Thompson
C-SuiteBook Excerpt
I took over one of the most prestigious media firms while training for an ultramarathon. Here’s what I learned becoming CEO of The Atlantic
By Nicholas ThompsonDecember 13, 2025
17 hours ago
Lauren Antonoff
SuccessCareers
Once a college dropout, this CEO went back to school at 52—but she still says the Gen Zers who will succeed are those who ‘forge their own path’
By Preston ForeDecember 13, 2025
18 hours ago
Asiathe future of work
The CEO of one of Asia’s largest co-working space providers says his business has more in common with hotels
By Angelica AngDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
Donald Trump
HealthHealth Insurance
‘Tragedy in the making’: Top healthcare exec on why insurance will spike to subsidize a tax cut to millionaires and billionaires
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
three men in suits, one gesturing
AIBrainstorm AI
The fastest athletes in the world can botch a baton pass if trust isn’t there—and the same is true of AI, Blackbaud exec says
By Amanda GerutDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
Brainstorm AI panel
AIBrainstorm AI
Creative workers won’t be replaced by AI—but their roles will change to become ‘directors’ managing AI agents, executives say
By Beatrice NolanDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.