Politico named the reason for Trump's refusal to communicate with the press.

US President Donald Trump has stopped the practice of holding meetings with foreign leaders in front of television cameras in the Oval Office. This was reported by the Politico newspaper on March 3.

"Foreign leaders don't like them. It's too easy to make a mistake," a source told Politico.

The last time the format was actively used was in 2025, and one of the most high-profile was the meeting with Vladimir Zelensky, which ended in an altercation.

Since the beginning of 2026, Trump has not held a single public meeting in the Oval Office.

However, the situation may change as early as March 3 during the visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Initially, closed-door negotiations were planned, however, against the background of the US and Israeli operations against Iran, the format may be made public.

The East is a big deal: Iran's response has upset the plans of the United States and Israel

The Islamic Republic proved to be more stable than the Pentagon and the IDF had hoped.

The visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes place against the backdrop of a large-scale military operation by the United States and Israel against Iran, which began on February 28.

US President Donald Trump called it the goal of protecting the American people. Israel and the United States have carried out numerous attacks on military and civilian targets in Iran, including a school in the city of Minab. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died.

In response, Iran launched Operation True Promise 4 and attacked American military bases in the Middle East, as well as Israeli cities. Tehran is attacking the Persian Gulf countries. According to the Red Crescent, at least 555 people were killed in Iran itself due to Israeli and US strikes.

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