Trump Tells Reporter to Be Quiet
As he departed the White House early on Saturday, Donald Trump was approached by MS Now White House correspondent Akayla Gardner, who asked whether he only wanted outlets that support him in the press pool. Trump responded that he wanted real news, not fake news, referring to her outlet. When Gardner pressed further, asking if he did not want tough questions, Trump told her to be quiet before repeating his familiar complaint that coverage of him is not flattering enough. The exchange was not broadcast live because CNN had been removed as the designated pool television crew, but the White House posted it on social media.[S1]
Press Pool Ban and Credential Revocations
Over the preceding weekend, White House officials stripped MS Now, Politico and CNN of their credentials, following Trump's own description of the move as a ban on the free press. A federal judge on Thursday temporarily allowed the excluded outlets back in, yet that same evening Trump's aides blocked MS Now and CNN personnel from covering a state dinner honoring China's president, Xi Jinping. On Friday, CNN was dropped from the rotating group of networks that handles presidential travel coverage. Pool assignments once fell to the White House Correspondents' Association, but during Trump's second term the administration took over deciding which network supplies daily pool television.[S1]
CNN Replaced by Pro-Trump Network on Tennessee Trip
CNN was set to travel with Trump on Saturday for a college football game in Knoxville, Tennessee. In its place, the pro-Trump outlet Real America's Voice joined the president on the short trip, even though it cannot supply live video to other broadcasters. That rightwing, partisan network posted a handful of clips from the journey, among them footage of Trump's likeness shown on the stadium's large screen, captioned: PRESIDENT TRUMP LIGHTS UP THE JUMBOTRON. Trump flew back to Washington DC on Saturday afternoon and took no questions from the print reporters allowed along.[S1]
CNN Analyst Warns of Broader Threat
On air, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter remarked that by keeping the network off Air Force One, Trump is picking a fight with those who report uncomfortable truths about his administration. He noted that CNN happens to be the target today, but any other outlet could be tomorrow. Trump has called nonpartisan news organizations that decline to openly back him enemies of the people since his first term, dismissing critical coverage as fake news. In his second term, he has more and more often told female reporters posing tough questions to be quiet.[S1]
