Sunita Somvanshi
A day after the White House cut CNN out of its press access, the network still ended up face to face with President Donald Trump, this time at the United Nations. As Trump arrived for his General Assembly address on Tuesday, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked him about the war with Iran. He didn’t answer. Instead, he told her she shouldn’t be there.
Collins questioned Trump on September 22 as he entered the UN building in New York with First Lady Melania Trump.
“Two-thirds of Americans don’t think the U.S. is winning the war with Iran. When will it end?” she asked.
Trump brushed off the question. “You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me,” he said.
Collins was there on a UN press credential, which the United Nations issues itself. That’s separate from White House credentials.
The exchange followed a White House statement on September 21 restricting CNN, Politico and MS NOW. The restrictions cover hard passes (the permanent credential for regular White House access), briefing-room seats and places in the press pool.
For readers, the practical effect is who asks the questions. The press pool is the small rotating group of reporters who travel with the president and share material with all outlets. When a network is barred from it, its reporters lose close-up access at White House events. Tuesday showed the limit. At venues the White House doesn’t control, such as the UN, excluded reporters can still get credentials and still ask questions.
What the White House policy says, and what CNN says
The White House statement was titled “White House Access Is a Privilege — Not a Right.” It justified the move by citing “years of false reporting.”
“The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool,” it said. The statement uses the name “MS NOW” for the network previously known as MSNBC.
The statement also listed past examples of administrations limiting outlets. It named the Obama White House’s treatment of Fox News in 2009 and credential changes under President Biden in 2023.
Collins disputed Trump’s claim on air. She said CNN “never said we were not going to cover the president.” She added that the network would keep reporting on him.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW filed a joint lawsuit on September 21 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing the restrictions violate the First Amendment. The White House has not commented on the case.
The UN exchange didn’t change the policy. What’s new is a live test of it. Outside the White House, the network can still reach the president with a question, even if he chooses not to answer it.
Our earlier report explained how the White House restricted CNN, Politico and MS NOW. More is on our Donald Trump and media pages.
For UK and Australian readers, the dispute is about access to a head of state, not censorship of publication. The outlets can still publish freely. What they have lost is a seat in the room at White House events.
Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at the UN on Tuesday that she “should not be here,” a day after the White House restricted CNN, Politico and MS NOW. Collins was there on a UN credential. CNN says it will keep covering the president, and the outlets are challenging the restrictions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Check back for updates as the legal challenge moves forward.
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