Is Mike Allen a journalist?

Donald Trump has not held a press conference in 145 days. He canceled one in which he was supposed to discuss how he would avoid conflicts of interest as president, and bucked the convention of president-elects holding press conferences shortly after their election. He has routinely singled out members of the press at his rallies, used them as a prop, and—arguably—incited violence against them. He holds the press in disdain and does everything in his power to increase distrust of the media.

On the other hand, he invited journalists to Mar-A-Lago to partake in what appear to be ham sandwiches. Here are some pictures that incomprehensibly influential hoarder Mike Allen took of an off-the-record meeting Trump had with a few chosen members of the press:

Off-the-record talks with politicians are fine, within reason. But there are a lot of reasons—say, the ones listed in the opening paragraph—that having an off-the-record chat with this politician is not advised right now. At the very least, if you’re dealing with a president who consistently belittles your profession and flouts press norms, don’t take an admiring picture of some ham when you’re at his house.