On Saturday, President Donald Trump told MS Now correspondent Akayla Gardner to “be quiet” after she asked if he wanted tough questions, a day after the White House removed CNN from the rotation of networks covering presidential travel aboard Air Force One.
The previous weekend, the administration revoked White House credentials for MS Now, Politico and CNN after Trump announced what he called a “ban on the free press.” A federal judge temporarily restored the outlets’ access on Thursday, but aides still prevented MS Now and CNN reporters and producers from covering that evening’s state dinner for Chinese president Xi Jinping.
CNN’s removal as the designated pool TV crew meant the exchange was not broadcast live; the White House later posted it on social media. Pro-Trump network Real America’s Voice accompanied Trump to Knoxville instead, but lacked the technical capacity to provide live video to other broadcasters and shared a limited number of clips. The administration took over daily network pool selections from the White House Correspondents’ Association. CNN analyst Brian Stelter said the exclusion could happen to any other outlet.
