President Donald Trump’s dispute with several news organizations took an unexpected turn Monday during a White House ceremony for a newly built helipad.
Trump had recently barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access. In response, the television press pool — normally responsible for providing shared video and audio of presidential events — suspended its coverage. ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC did not replace the scheduled pool coverage.
During Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, the White House provided its own video feed, but Trump’s remarks were difficult to hear. The noise from Marine One and the lack of a nearby television-pool microphone made much of what he said inaudible to viewers.
The unusual broadcast quickly drew attention online, with commentators pointing to the irony that restricting the traditional press pool also meant there was no normal independent television audio feed from the event.
Meanwhile, CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit challenging their exclusion from the White House, arguing that the administration violated their constitutional rights. The White House has defended the restrictions, saying media access is a privilege and accusing the outlets of publishing false information.
The dispute is continuing as Trump heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where the television press pool has also said it will not provide its usual pooled coverage.