Trump posted the announcement himself, declaring that effective immediately, three major news organizations are banned from the White House.
Let that sink in.
The President of the United States, using the powers of his office to decide which journalists are allowed to cover him based on whether their reporting flatters him.
Trump went further, falsely painting a legitimate government subscription to Politico as corruption, and mocking MSNBC's recent name change as proof of failure. Then he closed the post with a line that should stop everyone in their tracks.
Other fake news media outlets to follow.
Read that again.
A sitting president is openly threatening to keep expanding a media blacklist, one outlet at a time, based entirely on whether their coverage of him is favorable.
This isn't how a free press is supposed to work in America. Journalists exist to hold power accountable, not to serve as approved messengers for whoever happens to occupy the Oval Office. The moment a president gets to personally decide which news organizations are allowed in the building depending on how nice their coverage is, that's not journalism anymore. That's state propaganda.
And Trump isn't hiding it. He's saying it outright, in writing, with more bans promised to come.
This is what it looks like when a president stops tolerating a free press and starts trying to dismantle it in public view.
The news network responded to Trump’s announcement that he’s “banned” CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House with a statement of defiance, vowing to stand strong against Trump’s authoritarian urges and delivering an implicit threat of legal reprisal.
The press release reads, “CNN 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.”
Reading between the lines is a clear and obvious threat to bring immediate legal action against the White House if this “ban,” which Trump has tried and FAILED to implement in the past, ends up being more real than just a Truth Social post.
We hope to see similar statements from MS Now and POLITICO post-haste. Trump cannot be allowed to get away with this flagrantly illegal attack on the free press and violation of the Constitution that he swore to uphold.
No comments:
Post a Comment