Palm Beach, Fla. • When President Donald Trump sat down with a reporter for a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview at his private golf club here Thursday, not a single aide or adviser was present at the table — and not a single aide or adviser knew about it in advance.
The interview was enabled by Christopher Ruddy — a club member with a level of personal access to the president in Florida that rankles White House staff. He invited New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt as his personal guest to lunch at Trump International Golf Club, strategically ensured they were seated near Trump's regular table and brought the reporter over to meet the president, who was still in his golf clothes.