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Donald Trump's sudden purge of three major news organizations from the White House came just hours after close aide Natalie Harp showed him clips of television anchors criticizing his administration.
Harp, one of the president's closest aides, showed Trump footage from MS NOW on Friday as his long-simmering anger over negative coverage reached a 'fever pitch,' people familiar with the episode told the Wall Street Journal.
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people → see → Journal
Within hours, Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from the White House 'effective immediately' - a decision that reportedly blindsided some officials inside his own administration.
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that → announce → administration
By Saturday morning, journalists from all three organizations were being stopped at the gates, with reporters saying their credentials had been disabled or confiscated.
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credentials → stop → gates
MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner and a cameraman were seen being turned away and along with CNN were forced to broadcast from across the street, outside the White House gates.
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Gardner → see → gates
The revelation about Harp's role sheds new light on the dramatic escalation of Trump's years-long war with sections of the media.
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revelation → shed → media
The president had been complaining publicly and privately about coverage of his second term for months, according to the Journal, while also telling aides that too few political allies were appearing on television to defend his record.
But it was Friday's collection of critical MS NOW clips that saw Trump's frustrations finally boil over.
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frustrations → complain → clips
Natalie Harp, one of the president's closest aides, showed Trump footage from MS NOW on Friday, WSJ reported
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WSJ → show → Friday
Betsy Klein told CNN viewers on Saturday that her press pass was deactivated and she was denied entry to the White House.
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she → tell → House
She was forced to report from across the road instead
MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner was also seen reporting outside the White House from across the street having been denied entry
Trump took to Truth Social shortly afterward to declare that he was 'banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico' from the White House, accusing the organizations of repeatedly publishing 'FICTION and LIES.'
In person, Trump said there was no single incident behind his decision and described it as the result of an accumulation of coverage over several years that he had grown 'sick of.
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he → force → that
'Maybe they can get better, and we'd like to have them in,' Trump said.
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Trump → get → ?
'Somebody has got to keep them away.'
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Somebody → get → them
The order surprised many White House officials, according to WSJ, although aides quickly scrambled to carry it out.
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aides → surprise → it
A White House official said senior staff had been alongside Trump when he made the decision.
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he → say → decision
One senior administration official expressed exasperation over the ban, according to the newspaper, arguing that throwing reporters out was unlikely to produce the more favorable coverage Trump wanted.
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Trump → express → coverage
Trump had previously considered banning organizations outright, but advisers had persuaded him to pursue narrower restrictions instead, including keeping individual journalists out of the Oval Office or limiting participation in the smaller press pool.
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advisers → consider → pool
CNN reporter Betsy Klein said her credential was seized, while Gardner told viewers that a security guard informed her that her badge had been disabled.
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badge → say → her
Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett has also had her White House credential revoked following President Donald Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico
The President has also threatened that other outlets could be next in the line of fire.
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outlets → have → fire
He called the New York Times and the Washington Post 'fake news'
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He → call → Times
CNN's booth at the White House is pictured before the decision was announced
Jake Tapper led off his show Friday night with a scathing rebuke of Trump's order
'I asked why I was not able to get inside,' Gardner said.
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Gardner → picture → order
'He said it was above him.'
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it → say → him
Politico said White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied access.
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Haslett → say → access
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have all condemned the restrictions and vowed to continue covering the administration.
CNN called the move an 'illegal assault' on its constitutionally protected reporting rights, while MS NOW said it would take steps necessary to defend its First Amendment rights.
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it → condemn → rights
Trump has meanwhile suggested the crackdown might not stop with those three organizations.
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crackdown → suggest → organizations
Asked about other potential targets on Friday, he attacked the New York Times and Washington Post, calling them 'fake news' and 'crummy papers.
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he → ask → them
'
'We're probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House,' he said.
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he → go → House
'We haven't taken the step of throwing them out.'
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We → take → them
Trump also singled out Politico over federal government subscriptions purchased during the Biden administration.
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Trump → single → administration
In his Oval Office address, Trump admitted there was no particular reason for the ban
Trump and his team have been hunting for smaller, tangible victories he can tout as political and economic pressures mount ahead of the midterms.
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pressures → admit → midterms
Pictured, Trump holds up a model for a proposed 'Independence Arch' that will double as a base for drones and snipers
Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary under George W. Bush and has frequently defended Trump, warned that expelling entire organizations could establish a precedent that a future Democratic administration could turn against conservative media.
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administration → picture → media
'Banning them from the WH is not the solution,' Fleischer wrote.
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Fleischer → ban → WH
The fight erupted during what the Journal described as an unusually frustrating period for Trump.
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Journal → erupt → Trump
At a recent closed-door Oval Office meeting, the president complained that prominent Washington figures had not publicly thanked him for his attempt to remake the Kennedy Center, according to a senior administration official cited by the Journal.
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figures → complain → Journal
His effort to put his name on the institution has instead generated political opposition and courtroom battles.
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effort → put → opposition
Other setbacks have also piled up.
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setbacks → pile → ?
MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner reports from across the street from the White House, left, while she can be seen smiling while on the White House grounds, right
The CNN broadcast booth on the White House grounds is seen lying empty following Trump's banning of the network on the premises
The Supreme Court blocked his administration from implementing new mail-ballot requirements ahead of the midterms, while Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh joined colleagues in voting to raise interest rates over the president's objections.
The White House has also been confronting voter concerns about the economy and the war with Iran as the midterm elections approach.
The Journal reported that advisers have briefed Trump on political headwinds facing Republicans, including concerns that the Iran conflict is weighing on enthusiasm among parts of his conservative base.
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conflict → report → base
Rising energy costs have added another domestic pressure point.
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costs → rise → point
Trump has also been searching for victories he can showcase.
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he → search → victories
The president announced Friday that Washington had reached a security agreement with Denmark allowing an expanded American military presence in Greenland, and he is preparing for another foreign-policy-heavy week as he heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
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he → announce → Assembly
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House press office for comment but has yet to hear back.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
