(AFP) – US President Donald Trump said Friday he was banning news outlets CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, accusing them without specifics of reporting “fiction and lies.” Trump added that “other Fake News Media Outlets” would face a similar fate, but did not say which ones. The move drew immediate accusations that it was unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the courts.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW… and Politico… from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Trump did not say what had prompted the move but added that “media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America.”
Later in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters: “I think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they’re going to write false stories all the time.” “It’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it,” he said. “They’re smart people, but they purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.”
It is extremely rare for US presidents to outright bar news outlets from the White House, although Trump banned a CNN reporter in his first term and Richard Nixon put restrictions on The Washington Post over its reporting on the Watergate scandal. But in his second term, Trump’s administration has put stricter controls on reporters, including taking control of which journalists can cover events as part of the “pool” admitted to tight spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. Last year, Trump barred The Associated Press from some events because of the news agency’s decision to continue referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” — and not the “Gulf of America” as decreed by Trump.
For the time being, reporters for Politico and CNN were still in the White House press room following Trump’s announcement.
– ‘Flatly unconstitutional’ –
Both of the 80-year-old president’s White House terms have seen him lash out repeatedly at media whose coverage displeases him. Trump has filed multiple defamation suits against news outlets, attacked the press on Truth Social, and verbally assaulted several reporters, notably women. Trump’s surprise announcement on Friday comes at a time when his approval ratings are at record lows and his Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. The war in Iran and rising prices, particularly at the gas pump, are among the factors that have contributed to his sinking political fortunes.
Bruce Brown, president of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said a ban on the media outlets would be “flatly unconstitutional.” “The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting,” Brown said. “This is textbook viewpoint discrimination and will be quickly struck down by the courts if challenged.”
– Danny KEMP
© 2024 AFP
