Trump calls Bloomberg reporter 'terrible' in defending White House outlet ban

WHCA president, First Amendment lawyer call ban unconstitutional

At a White House press conference Friday afternoon, a Bloomberg News reporter asked Trump whether the ban was an attempt to intimidate the press. “No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you’re terrible,” Trump responded. He also said: “They purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” Trump said no specific news story had led to his decision, instead describing a frustration that had built up over the last two years.

Trump made the accusation earlier Friday in a Truth Social post, citing what he called negative coverage of his administration and saying media outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly report “FICTION and LIES” when they cover the president of the United States. He warned other news outlets would follow. NPR described it as Trump’s latest move in an ongoing battle against the media.

The first enforcement came Saturday morning. MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said she was denied entry to the White House, and an officer asked her to “hand over” her badge because it was “disabled.” “I asked why I was not able to get inside,” Gardner said. “He said it was above him.” Gardner said an MS NOW producer was nevertheless able to access the grounds.

CNN reporter Betsy Klein, who has covered the White House in some capacity since the Obama administration, said a Secret Service agent took her badge Saturday morning. “I asked him if he could provide an explanation as to why it had been deactivated. He said he had no further information,” Klein said. She said she was referred to the White House press office.

Politico Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger told the newsroom on Saturday that White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry. “We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. As we said yesterday, we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights,” Greenberger said in a statement shared with NPR.

Each outlet pushed back publicly. MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, said in a statement on X: “The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars. MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”

CNN said in a statement on X on Friday that it has “a right under the U.S. Constitution” to report without government interference. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right,” the statement said.

White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich said Friday that “the Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference.” “That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask,” Heinrich said.

Theodore Boutrous, a leading First Amendment lawyer in the U.S., told NPR the ban is “on its face, unconstitutional.”

According to NPR, Trump’s announcement comes amid a midterm election season in which Democrats have had an edge, and during a period in which Trump has faced pushback over an unpopular war in the Middle East, a looming affordability crisis, and threats to demolish the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center.

The action follows a pattern of similar confrontations. Last year, Trump barred an Associated Press reporter from covering two official events because the news service did not refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. During his first term, he also barred a CNN reporter. Courts have sided with the media both times, though the AP ruling remains under appeal, according to NPR.