Richard Schiff Says the Press Should Press Trump

Richard Schiff's character on "The West Wing" believed the press should always stay close to the president ... and he stands by that today in the real world.

We got Richard, aka Toby Ziegler, enjoying a sucker in Beverly Hills ... and he says Donald Trump's trying to make a sucker of the media by holding them at bay. It's a page right out of 'West Wing.'

Schiff has an idea how the press can turn it around and keep a watchful eye on our new leader ... but it might not work -- Trump claims he keeps a lookout for that.