USAfricaonline.com: The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has announced another unusual decision: he is banning CNN, MSNow, and Politico from the White House. He wrote on his TruthSocial page 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.”
Trump warned in his post that “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Several media organizations, human rights and civil liberties leaders have condemned Trump’s decision as unconstitutional. CNN stated that it “stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
The politics and public policy magazine, Politico, promised that “POLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them.”
Mr. Trump previously banned the Associated Press from presidential events. The AP refused to bow to the pressure from the White House (and they are still in court). The AP continues to cover/report White House events. Trump’s White House also targeted CNN’s former White House reporter Jim Acosta, but was restored in November 2018.
