NBC Senior White House Correspondent Garrett Haake returned to his alma mater on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to share his thoughts on the presidency and the press at the Rosine Smith Sammons Lecture in Media Ethics.
Haake, a former SMU-TV member and ‘07 graduate, always knew he wanted to be a journalist of some sort; however, he didn’t know what kind.
“[At SMU] I dabbled in sports, I dabbled in politics. I didn’t really know exactly what it was I wanted to do,” Haake said. “Then I got an internship through one of my professors here at SMU with NBC Nightly News in New York.”
He spent his summer sleeping at the YMCA for $60 a night, then at Columbia University’s dormitories.
After graduating, Haake returned to NBC as a desk assistant, but he wanted more experience in the field. He found it in local newsrooms–some of which he didn’t like at first– where he built on-the-ground reporting skills and quickly gravitated toward politics.
“I covered a ton of politics as a local news reporter,” he said. “And sure enough, the 2016 presidential election was one of the wildest experiences that anybody either covered or lived through after Donald Trump won.”
When NBC began expanding its political team in the wake of that election, Haake’s background made him a natural fit. With experience covering Republicans and a deep understanding of red-state politics, he could credibly connect with audiences across the country.
“I was sitting there, like, ‘Hi! Remember me? I’m available,’” he recalled.
NBC brought Haake back on board, and as he continued reporting, he realized that this was the work he wanted to pursue.
Haake notes that in Trump’s White House, nothing is off-limits—from pop culture to matters of war and peace—meaning correspondents must be ready to cover virtually any story. What makes this period especially distinct for the media is Trump’s outsized cultural presence and his unusual accessibility as president. One of the most unique things about this, Haake mentions, is that so many reporters have his phone number, meaning they get a direct line to contact him at any time.
“He regularly takes phone calls from 10, perhaps a dozen, reporters who have his personal cell phone number and will take questions at any hour of the day or night,” Haake said. “I’m one of those reporters.”
Audience member and sophomore Cox major, Caleb Raper, found it interesting that Trump opens up this way to the press.
“That’s such a uniquely valuable piece of intel for the press to really be able to get the true ‘inside scoop’ and shows Trump’s willingness to be available to the media,” Raper said.
Though accessible, the president’s relationship with the media is one of love and hate. Trump often berates the press, calling them “the enemy of the people,” and claiming they are “not to be trusted.”
Haake explains that the key to being a White House reporter is putting yourself in the president’s shoes—trying to understand not only how they make decisions, but also how they think about the world around them.
To understand Trump, Haake uses what he likes to call his personal ‘Trump Rosetta Stone’ to help him make sense of the president and report on him properly. The three prongs are as follows: 1987, Wrestlemania 23 and DTTMIMS, an acronym for don’t try to make it make sense.
In 1987, Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal” was published. Haake believes that this was the first time Trump was able to sit down and put together his thoughts on paper, both conceptually and politically. In some ways, Haake says, Trump reverts to the way they felt about issues back then.
Trump, a WWE Hall of Famer and WrestleMania 23 headliner, embraces the drama of combat sports—especially the staged spectacle known as “kayfabe,” where there’s the act on stage and then the reality off stage. Haake notices that Trump approaches politics the same way: even after the most contentious interviews, he’ll often shake Haake’s hand and casually ask when the segment will air.
Finally, there’s DTTMIMS: don’t try to make it make sense. Trump’s positions may shift from one moment to the next, and correspondents have to accept that inconsistency as part of the reality they’re reporting on.
“He’s very comfortable in that space. And you have to be able to roll with it,” Haake said.
Together, these three points give Haake a framework for making sense of Trump’s worldview, and, just as importantly, for explaining it clearly to the public.
Beyond politics and policy, Haake also spoke about the craft of journalism itself—particularly the importance of building trust with the people you cover. He emphasized that effective reporting often starts with finding common ground, even with high-profile figures like Trump, where small personal connections can open the door to deeper conversations.
This stuck with senior journalism and fashion media major Charlotte Pompa.
“[Haake] mentioned how Trump and him would talk about SMU golf together and other things they had in common to establish a bond and trust within each other,” Pompa said. “That bond is important to build because it allows [the interviewee] to trust you, open up and say things they may not to an average reporter.”
As Haake closed out, he affirmed that journalists will continue doing their job of informing the public, but it’s also on the audience to actively engage with the news. He encouraged the audience to not just to consume coverage they agree with, but also to read or watch sources that challenge their assumptions.
“I would urge you all to engage in whatever news you can and a bit more of news that you think you might disagree with or that might challenge your expectations, because it will make you a better news consumer and hopefully a more informed citizen,” Haake said.
