Trump Tells Reporter to “Be Quiet” as White House Press Dispute Escalates
President Donald Trump told a White House correspondent to “Be quiet” after she asked whether he wanted only supportive news outlets to accompany him on official trips.
The exchange took place on Saturday morning as Trump left the White House. It came amid a dispute over access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner asked the president:
“Do you only want outlets that support you to be a part of the press pool?”
Trump replied:
“No, no, no. I want real news, not fake news – like you.”
As he continued criticizing CNN and MS NOW, Gardner followed up:
“Do you not want tough questions?”
Trump’s response was brief:
“Be quiet.”
The exchange was not broadcast live by the designated television press pool. The White House later posted video of it on social media.
Why the press pool matters
Gardner’s questions followed the White House’s decision to remove CNN from the television pool assigned to cover Trump’s trip to Tennessee aboard Air Force One. CNN had been scheduled to provide footage for other broadcasters.
A press pool is a small group of journalists that covers an event when there is not enough room for every news organization. Its reports and video are shared with outlets that cannot attend. A place in the pool can therefore give journalists a chance to question the president directly while providing coverage to a much wider audience.
Instead of CNN, a pro-Trump network accompanied the president on the Tennessee trip and shared a limited number of video clips.
A wider fight over White House access
The confrontation followed an earlier decision to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Officials confiscated their press passes after Trump accused the outlets of publishing false reports about him.
The three organizations disputed that decision and filed a joint lawsuit. They argue that the ban violates the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of speech and the press. In their joint statement, they said:
“The government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
Trump defended his actions by saying he was targeting what he considers false reporting. In a social media post, he wrote:
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS.”
A federal judge temporarily restored the three outlets’ access to the White House. The dispute continued, however, when CNN was removed from the television pool for the Tennessee trip.
Trump has long described coverage he considers unfair as “fake news” and has called some news outlets “the enemy of the people.” The affected organizations say the restrictions punish them for their reporting and limit the public’s access to independent coverage of the presidency.
