On Wednesday afternoon, a federal judge in Washington was scheduled to hear arguments from three major media companies seeking to undo President Trump’s foolish move to bar their journalists from the White House.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico sued the administration on Monday after their reporters were stripped of access to the White House complex. Trump, in announcing the ban, said that those three organizations were singled out because he dislikes their coverage, citing “cumulative stories over the last two years.” But, he warned: “Other fake news media outlets to follow.”
The courts will sort this out quickly and the cameras and microphones and tough questioners will be back in the Oval Office. It’s pretty simple: Presidents, even petulant, spoiled-brat narcissists like the one we’re stuck with for the moment, do not get to decide which news organizations may cover them based on whether or not they like what those outlets report.
Politicians absolutely have the right to pick media favorites— and they do, all the time. Journalists and news organizations are sometimes offered exclusive interviews, for example. Sometimes newspapers or TV stations that annoy a government agency or elected official get “punished” by the agency or official feeding a story or leaking one to a competitor. That’s all in the game, so to speak.
What’s different here is refusing access to whole networks because a politician — in this case the president— deems them “fake news” or too “negative.” It’s absurd. And it’s the latest indicator that this rapidly deteriorating man with a 32 percent approval rating is hitting the panic button.
Trump wishes he could have the dictatorial trappings of a state-run media like his idols, Putin and Xi. If only that darned Constitution would quit getting in the way!
Not only has the ban backfired spectacularly, but Trump and his Pennsylvania Avenue enablers also have managed a rare feat: They united competitive networks — including right-wing FoxNews— who’ve refused to provide pool coverage while the restrictions are in place. The result has been a brief reprieve from some of this president’s inane rantings and a show of across-the-spectrum solidarity that is refreshing if, most likely, fleeting.
The message must be crystal clear: Trump’s delusions have to be confronted and condemned roundly. It is good to see the larger media organizations step up and show some backbone on this one. Most Republicans, per usual, toed the line or, disgracefully, said nothing.
It was disappointing, though, to see New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who seems to fancy himself a media guru, fail to grasp the gravity of the moment. Mamdani not only hosted Trump on Monday at his official residence, Gracie Mansion, but he then inexplicably agreed to a joint appearance before the press corps gathered outside, giving Trump a platform to troll and insult them further. It was a pitiful show from the NYC newbie, who seemed downright Chamberlainesque.
There are, in the scheme of things, much more pressing and outrageous abuses of power emanating from this White House. Trump and his family are corrupt profiteers, who are plundering the nation’s coffers while simultaneously jacking up costs on everyday Americans and threatening to “annihilate” whole civilizations. This week’s pathetic assault on the First Amendment and press freedoms suggests that this president and his aides know that a reckoning is coming in November. — Bill Forry
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