Donald Trump landed in New York today ahead of the UN General Assembly. But he may no longer be the star of his favorite media hits: major TV networks just halted their press pool coverage of presidential events.
The decision, a rare demonstration of media solidarity, was announced earlier today after Trump abruptly banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW reporters on Friday from accessing the White House because of what he deemed unfavorable reporting. The five networks in the press pool—ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC—rotate daily to provide reporting, video, and audio of Trump’s daily events to share with other media outlets globally. No TV press pool equals fewer eyes on him.
Trump will also welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US later this week on trade and AI. It’s a relationship he often boasts as “very good” and looks to have wanted all of us to follow, considering he spent up to $875, 000 to accelerate a helipad project on the White House lawn ahead of Xi’s arrival.
Trump may be used to getting away with a lot, but this decision looks like it may backfire.
