On a day of high-stakes diplomacy on the global stage, President Donald Trump began his United Nations visit by telling a prominent U.S. journalist, “You should not be here.”
asserted
You → begin → journalist
“It’s an honor to be here,” Trump said as he entered U.N. doors Tuesday ahead of his speech to the General Assembly and faced Kaitlan Collins of CNN, a frequent target of his ire.
asserted
he → ’ → ire
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me.
asserted
CNN → ’m → me
You should not be here covering me.
asserted
You → cover → me
You said you weren’t going to cover me.”
asserted
you → say → me
As Collins noted later on air, CNN said nothing of the kind.
asserted
CNN → note → kind
The administration had banned CNN from White House grounds days earlier — along with MS NOW and Politico — and removed the network from pool duty.
asserted
administration → ban → duty
But CNN had been admitted into the U.N. as regularly credentialed media.
asserted
CNN → admit → media
In any case, the tense moment was a stark reminder of how dramatically the bitter conflict between Trump and news outlets whose coverage he objects to as “fake news” has escalated in just a few days.
asserted
he → object → days
The current ban was the subject of a joint lawsuit filed Monday by the three outlets, asking a judge to find the administration’s move unconstitutional.
asserted
move → file → judge
The White House had until Tuesday to respond, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
asserted
hearing → have → afternoon
Trump says he has a right to ‘clean out fake news’
asserted
he → say → news
Later Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his remarks and said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.
asserted
coverage → double → country
Asked whether he would allow the outlets back in if the court rules against the White House, he said, “Well, it probably will, because this is a judge who’s not a particularly fair judge.”
asserted
who → ask → House
He was referring to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom he appointed in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018.
asserted
access → refer → 2018
“So you never know,” Trump added.
asserted
Trump → know → ?
“I think we have a right to clean out fake news.”
asserted
we → think → news
Trump’s comments echoed others he’s made since announcing the ban Friday.
asserted
he → echo → ban
He has referred to “purposely negative stories,” but cited no specific stories — only generally “fake news” — as justification for the ban.
asserted
He → refer → ban
The ban and lawsuit are part of a long-running conflict between the president — especially in his second term — and media outlets he finds unfavorable.
asserted
he → run → term
Trump has responded in the courtroom, or with regulatory action.
asserted
Trump → respond → action
He’s also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms — as he has with CNN’s Collins, most recently in a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
asserted
he → lash → dinner
On air, after her exchange with Trump on Tuesday, Collins said: “We never said we were not going to cover the president.
asserted
we → say → president
We will do our best to cover him each and every day.”
asserted
We → do → him
Networks began the day without pool coverage
Tuesday began with an item missing from the daily press schedule issued by the White House: It did not list the U.S. network pool, a departure from the norm.
asserted
It → begin → norm
CNN had been the designated pool network for the president’s trip to New York, according to a schedule that divides coverage of certain events between the five major networks.
uncertain
that → designate → networks
But Trump’s ban removed it from pool duties.
asserted
ban → remove → duties
The other pool members agreed, in solidarity, not to replace CNN with another network on the coverage, and further to suspend all pool coverage until further notice.
asserted
members → agree → notice
Other news outlets also took steps in solidarity.
asserted
outlets → take → solidarity
The Associated Press joined a number of news organizations, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, in a decision not to publish photographs of presidential events Monday.
asserted
Press → join → events
It remains to be seen how long both the ban and the collective media action will continue.
asserted
ban → remain → ?
In speeches and meetings Tuesday, Trump was seen plenty by global audiences, thanks to UNTV — the official United Nations broadcast arm — and pool journalists covering other international leaders.
asserted
Trump → see → leaders
Meanwhile, a sign was spotted in the White House workspace: “I stand with AP, CNN, MS NOW, Politico.”
asserted
I → spot → AP
For audiences, the long-term impact may be more serious, analyst says
One longtime TV analyst says the lack of constant coverage will prove damaging to a spotlight-loving president — which may be one reason the standoff ultimately ends.
uncertain
standoff → say → president
“This ban is not going to go on forever because he doesn’t want that to happen, anymore than anybody else,” said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture.
asserted
Thompson → go → Television
In the short term, Thompson said, audiences won’t feel the impact in a lasting way — after all, he noted, there are many ways people get news outside of network coverage.
asserted
people → say → coverage
“We are not going to be deprived of important civic information,” Thompson said, as might have happened years ago when outlets and options were fewer.
uncertain
outlets → go → information
On the other hand, if viewers were interested in what Trump said as he inaugurated a helipad at the White House on Monday, they were out of luck: The sound of Trump’s whirring, waiting helicopter drowned out his remarks.
asserted
sound → say → remarks
TV network crews usually work to capture clearer audio.
asserted
crews → work → audio
On a deeper level, Thompson said, news consumers will be impacted in a more serious way.
asserted
consumers → say → way
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
