Donald Trump escalated his criticism of the media during a speech at the Department of Justice on Friday, proposing that actions by the press should be considered unlawful and subject to scrutiny.
According to the president, “I firmly believe that CNN and MS-DNC, which report approximately 97.6% negatively about me, are essentially the political arms of the Democratic party and are corrupt and therefore operating outside the law.”
Trump further stated, “These networks and newspapers operate much like highly paid political operatives, and this has to cease. It needs to be seen as an act subject to the law, affecting judges and altering the course of legislation. In my view, it is not lawful, and their actions are done in full coordination with one another.”
Tensions between media organizations covering the White House and the Trump administration have surged recently, with the administration seeking to relinquish control of the press pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced last month that members of the press pool will now be chosen by administration officials, following a dispute about naming conventions with the Associated Press.
The White House has since barred the AP from accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One, and in response to a legal challenge, the Associated Press labeled the ban as a “constitutional issue.”
According to Charles Tobin, an attorney for the AP, “We are not advocating that the President of the United States has to answer questions from the Associated Press. Rather, once he admits the press pool, he cannot say, ‘I don’t like you. You’re fake news. Get out.’”
Conversely, the White House maintains that access to the president in the Oval Office and on Air Force One is a privilege rather than a legal entitlement. A federal judge recently denied the AP’s immediate request to regain access, citing no tangible harm to the news agency.
On another front, the U.S. government agency overseeing Voice of America, which operates in over 40 languages, plans to end contracts with the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. In a statement, Kari Lake, the former broadcaster and Republican politician chosen by Trump to lead VoA, foresees cost savings of $53 million and stated that “we should not be paying outside news organizations to inform us about the news.”
Lake, known for her staunch support of Trump and beliefs in unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, appears to be enforcing a policy of self-reliance and distrust towards independent news agencies.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/15/trump-media-attacks
