Judge overturns Trump's media ban hours before Xi Jinping visit
A federal judge ordered Trump to reinstate White House press credentials for CNN and MSNBC Thursday morning, but the networks say they were locked out during the Chinese president's arrival.
What to know
- A federal judge ruled Trump's ban on CNN, MSNBC, and Politico press credentials had no legal basis for national security and ordered them reinstated—but the timing of the ruling versus the networks' actual access remains disputed.
- CNN and MSNBC say they were locked out until noon ET, well after the 10 a.m. Xi Jinping arrival ceremony began, making live coverage impossible despite the court order.
- Trump publicly blamed the networks for refusing to cover the event, claiming they deliberately boycotted it to deny him credit, while the networks contend they were physically barred from access.
Trump is falsely blaming the networks for avoiding the event when he was the one preventing their access.
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“It's never his fault.... womp-womp”
rickf · Mastodon ↗
“From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people.”
President Donald Trump, President · Mediaite (citing Associated Press) ↗
Donald Trump PresidentJudge Timothy Kelly Federal Judge
Xi Jinping President of ChinaMicah Stopperich Director of White House Press OperationsCNN News networkMSNBC News network
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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Trump accuses networks of refusing to cover Xi arrival
Trump publicly claimed that CNN and MSNBC "refused to be there" to cover the Xi ceremony, asserting they boycotted the event because they knew "how good it would be" and didn't want credit given to him. He blamed their low ratings on lack of credibility.
“they refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years…they didn't want credit to be given to "TRUMP," they refused to be there.”
— President Donald Trump -
first by Mediaite, 5d ago
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R
It's never his fault.... womp-womp https://www. mediaite.com/media/news/trump- rages-that-the-networks-he-banned-blew-off-his-event-with-chinas-xi-jinping-bizarrely-claims-they-refused-to-be-there/
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background
Xi Jinping arrives at White House; CNN and MSNBC report being locked out — Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife arrived at the White House. CNN and MSNBC both stated they repeatedly tried to access the grounds Thursday morning but were not allowed in until approximately noon ET, making it impossible for crews to cover the 10 a.m. ceremony. White House Press Operations director Micah Stopperich claimed in a court filing that access was restored at 9:55 a.m. ET.
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background
Judge Kelly overturns Trump's media ban — Federal Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that Trump's revocation of press credentials for CNN, MSNBC, and Politico lacked factual basis for national security protection. The judge ordered Trump to reinstate access to the outlets.