Scott Bessent Comments on Trump's Press Ban

<p>Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented on President Donald Trump’s decision to ban Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from the White House during an interview on CNBC. Bessent stated that he was not fully informed about the situation, saying, “So, Joe, I’ve been traveling. I don’t know much about it. I wasn’t in the Oval when it happened.”</p><p>When asked for further comments, Bessent expressed that the legacy media needs to return to “equilibrium” and suggested that these outlets do not adequately cover what he called the “most transparent president in history.” He noted, “For the legacy media, the equilibrium is so far out of kilter because what group is one of the few that is less popular than the U.S. Congress? Legacy media. And why is that? Because of the perceived bias. So the American people deserve good reporting. We’ll see where this goes.”</p><p>Bessent also criticized legacy media reporters, stating, “Maybe it’s a change in coverage at the White House because some of these reporters, they just don’t do their job well. We’ll have something. And then they’ll ask some crazy question.”</p><p>In response to the ban, Politico, CNN, and MS NOW filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the ban represents a direct assault on the First Amendment and a violation of constitutional principles. They claimed that the ban has already “severely impeded” their ability to cover the president.</p><p>President Trump appeared to address the lawsuit on Truth Social, stating, “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, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped NOW!”</p><p>Following the ban, the five networks that make up the White House television pool — Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News — suspended TV pool coverage of the president, meaning that Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly will not have television coverage. The legacy media traditionally covers the president in a TV pool, alternating coverage and sharing it with other outlets. The five networks issued a joint statement condemning the White House’s action, stating, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”</p>