White House staff curb Trump's push to bar major news outlets
Senior aides persuaded President Trump to abandon a plan to ban several media outlets from the White House after concerns it would backfire.
During a week marked by the absence of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and the resignation of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, President Trump considered banning MS NOW, several outlets from the White House. Senior staff warned that such a ban would likely backfire and fail to improve the president’s media standing. They convinced him to adopt milder restrictions, like blocking reporters from the Oval Office or limiting pool participation at smaller events.
Allies, including former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer, voiced opposition, saying the ban was not a solution. The president’s frustration also stems from recent setbacks, including a Russian oligarch’s funding of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding after-party, a Supreme Court ruling on mail-in voting, and higher interest rates set by the Federal Reserve. He is seeking more foreign-policy wins and greater TV support ahead of the midterms, despite Republican candidates distancing themselves from him.
Why it matters
It shows internal conflict over the administration’s media strategy and its impact on public perception ahead of elections.
How this story developed
- Sep 19 Press‑freedom groups are preparing legal challenges to the announced ban.
- Sep 19 President Donald Trump acted on his threat to bar certain outlets, preventing MS NOW journalists from entering the White House on Saturday.
- Sep 19 An MS NOW producer’s badge worked while a photographer’s badge was deactivated.
- Sep 22 The White House's 24-hour YouTube stream, launched after Trump barred several news outlets, attracted only a few thousand viewers and quickly fell to about 1,100.
- Sep 23 The White House added a helicopter pad and launched a 24‑hour YouTube livestream.
- Sep 24 Press operations director Micah Stopperich began reinstating the badges at 7:25 am, with the Secret Service confirming they were fully restored by 9:07 am and returned to the press gate for pickup around 9:55 am.
- Sep 24 Major broadcast networks withdrew their crews from Trump’s China summit.
- Sep 24 Judge Kelly dismissed the administration’s national‑security justification for the ban.
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